Origin Story
by Mouth of Lightnin
Summary: This is how the ninja’s lives played out before Master Wu found them. Elements of heartbreak at the beginning, fluff at the end. Contains a few OCs.
1. Master of Earth (Pt 1)

"Nicholas Peter Brookestone, get down from there!"

Nicky grabbed her husband's hand in her own and placed it back down on the mat. Lou, Cole, and herself had gone picnicking near their home, and after her son ran off, Lou finally spotted where he had gone.

Cole, six years old, was climbing up a rock wall without a harness.

"Honey," she replied in a soothing voice, "Look at him. He's having fun!"

Lou turned to look at her, anger clearly written on his face. "No, Nicole, _you _look at him! Nicholas is a child, with no experience, _or _safety equipment. He could get hurt!"

Nicky rolled her eyes. "Call him Cole, honey. That's the name we agreed on."

She continued. "And Lou, don't worry so much. Rock climbing is in my family's blood, you know that. He'll be fine."

Lou gave his wife another disapproving glare. But, after taking another look at the many concerned people below his son, he let it go.

**. . .**

_Hands first... get a good grip, then feet... pull your body up..._

Cole, now twelve, was rapidly flying up a mountain. Well, it wasn't _really _a mountain, maybe more of a steep-ish hill, but there weren't any mountains around his town, so he had to improvise. And anyways, if he was climbing a _real_ mountain, his father would _kill_ him.

But, that would never stop him from trying.

Finally, after about five minutes of undisturbed climbing, Cole was inches away from the top-

"Nicholas! Get down here!"

Cole's hand hovered just above the edge as he decided whether or not to obey his father, who was standing- probably with his arms crossed, his foot tapping in the way it did whenever Cole was in trouble- far down below. After almost a minute, he gave in, and began his trip down the "mountain".

Once he slid all the way down to ground level, he faced his father.

"Dad, what gives?" Cole complained.

Lou frowned. "I told you to wait outside during my rehearsal, and not get into trouble."

"I wasn't getting into trouble!" he argued. "I can't just sit still for hours at a time, I have to _do _something!"

Lou narrowed his eyes. "_Nicholas_."

Cole sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to change his father's mind.

"Alright, Dad, fine. I'm sorry," he mumbled. "But, please just call me Cole."

**. . .**

"Mom, _please_, don't make me go!" Cole, fifteen, begs.

Nicky sighed, putting a hand in her son's combed ebony hair and brushing her fingers through it.

"Cole, you know this is the school your father went to when he was a kid. He's wanted you to go since you were little. You have to go."

Cole knew that. He knew there was no way out of it.

He tugged on his tie, trying desperately not to choke. Just what he needed- a uniform. Cole absolutely _despised _his white polo shirt, itchy navy blue vest, and red tie, which his dad had tied _exaggeratingly_ tight around his neck.

Speaking of, Lou entered the room, with camera in hand and a grin on his face.

"Son, mind letting me take a photo of you in your uniform?" Lou asked.

Cole looked up at his mom, and Nicky gave him an encouraging nudge towards his father. He sighed and stepped up against the wall so his dad could take the picture. He put on the best smile he could.

Once he got in the back seat of the car, it took his family only half an hour to get to the dreadful, atrocious school his mother had told him about.

_Marty Oppenheimer's School of Performing Arts_.

Cole stepped out of the car, and one look at the school, that horrible, anxious feeling came back.

He heard his mom exit the vehicle, then turned on his heel and hugged her, burying his face into her shoulder. Nicky jumped a bit in surprise, but hugged him back with all the love only a mother could give.

He had to admit... he was scared.

The memory of him tripping and falling on his face while attempting the Triple-Tiger-Sashay came rushing back to him, reminding him how bad at dancing he really was.

How could he make a career for himself here, when he was terrible at _anything _and _everything _musical?

Nicky placed her hand under his chin, forcing him to look up at her.

"Cole," she began, "You're going to do amazing here. You might not be the best at your father's career, but you will find good friends, and at this point in your life, hopefully find what you really want to pursue."

Lou exited the car after that, giving his son a big hug.

"Visit us every weekend," he said, looking down into his son's dark brown eyes.

"But if you can't visit," Nicky cut in, "at least write a letter beforehand, so we know."

Cole smiled weakly. "Okay, Mom. Bye!"

Both of his parents waved goodbye, and Cole headed off to his boarding school, suitcase in hand, and book bag hanging over his shoulder.

He hesitated in front of the door.

Cole pushed his fears and doubts away. He had to. He closed his eyes, opened the door, and just _went_.

Right into someone.

His eyes opened just in time to see the red-headed girl stumble backwards. She managed to stay on her feet, but that didn't stop her backpack and folder from hitting the floor.

"Oh my gosh, I am _so _sorry!" she replied, reaching down to pick up her backpack. "I _totally _should have been looking out for people coming in."

The girl, who looked about fourteen, lifted her head back up and looked at Cole. She had bright, teal-blue eyes that looked as if they had recently been cut into a pixie. Light freckles dotted her cheeks, in a line that extended from ear to ear across her nose, and he felt like he could count each individual one.

Once his brain had processed what the girl said, he quickly picked her folder up from the floor before she could grab it. She looked back at him, surprised.

"No, it was my fault," Cole admitted, handing her the folder. "My, uh, eyes were closed, and that was pretty stupid of me."

He tried to dig up any information about girls out of his brain, about what they like, what they were attracted to, because _heck_, this one seemed _amazing_.

_Haven't I just met this stranger? Jeez._

The girl gave him an odd sort of smile, as she took the folder out of his hand.

"Thanks," she replied. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Audrey."

**. . .**

**I understand most people here feel strongly about OCs. If so, I'm sorry.**


	2. Master of Lightning (Pt 1)

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You have no idea how much your comments meant to me, especially since I've been sick and a bit down in the dumps. **

**Isabella Camovic- I'll be doing each chapter in a certain order, so today it's Jay. But, Zane will be in the next chapter!**

**IcetheStars- Hello! Thanks so much! Yes, I did edit a little.**

**Now, without further ado, here's Jay!**

**. . .**

Edna could easily hear the rumble of thunder coming closer to the junkyard.

Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and rain poured hard outside, but she and Ed were safe and dry inside their old blue trailer.

"Quite a doozy we have out there, haven't we, dear?" Ed commented, from where he was silently reading the paper at the other end of their small dining table.

Edna hummed in reply. "Yes, Ed. But the rain will certainly help us in such a dry place."

Ed nodded, and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at their door.

"Now, who could that be on such a night?" Edna wondered. Ed got up to see who it was, and once he opened the door, he gasped.

"Edna, come here."

She frowned. "What is it?"

Edna got up to stand beside her husband, to see who had knocked on their door, but it wasn't someone at the door he was staring at. It was something lying on their doorstep.

Laying on their steps, was a newborn, swaddled in a soft blue blanket.

She gasped as well, reaching down to pick up the little ball of sunshine. It was a boy, with a few curly wisps of auburn hair, and gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to glow amidst the darkness. He was smiling and laughing, even through the rain and thunder. He enjoyed it.

"Oh, Ed," she breathed, gently brushing a finger against the baby's soft cheek.

Ed only looked sad. "Now, Edna, this is someone else's child. We can't just take him."

Edna looked up at her husband, wanting to disagree. Why couldn't they? Someone put the kid on their doorstep for a reason- what if they couldn't take care of him? What if someone knew she wasn't able to have a child, and gave him to them knowing they could raise him properly?

"Can't we just take him inside? He only looks a few months old," she replied.

Ed didn't respond right away, but agreed that they should at least bring him inside.

Edna placed him gently on the table, and pulled back the blanket, revealing the adorable baby boy. Ed reached forward, and before she knew what he was doing, plucked a piece of paper from the blanket that she didn't see. Out of the first paper, came another piece of paper, and a key.

"What is it?" Edna asked.

Ed frowned. "An address."

Edna looked back down at the baby. "Maybe they want him to know where he came from when he grows up."

"Maybe," Ed replied. "And this other one's a note."

Edna stretched her neck to read the note. It said his name in big blue letters at the top:

_JAY_

_Age: six months. __Born: September 11. __Please take good care of him, since I cannot._

At this, Ed sighed, then smiled.

"Alright, Edna," he said, looking at his wife. "I guess we can keep him."

**. . .**

"Jay! Time for school, son!"

Jay, now fourteen, jumped up from the table at his father's voice, put the other half of the bagel he was eating in his mouth, and placed his breakfast dishes on the counter.

He took the bagel out of his mouth so he could say, "Coming!"

He grabbed his homework from the weekend off the counter (which, he had to say, worked very hard on), and put it in his book bag, slinging the bag over his shoulder. Jay was outside and in his parent's jalopy in seconds.

He sat down in the backseat, blowing out a breath.

"You're really gettin' speedy, son," Ed complimented, turning the ignition.

Jay grinned. "Thanks, Dad." All was quiet for a few minutes, as their old car bumbled over dunes in the Sea of Sand towards Ninjago City, before he spoke up again, "Eh, can you guys drop me off a few blocks before the school parking lot?"

Edna turned around to look at him. "What for?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I wanted to try out my new roller blades. Y'know, the ones I just got?"

Edna sighed. "Alright, but don't hurt yourself."

"Yeah, yeah," Jay rolled his eyes. _Mom_.

After his parents dropped him off on the sidewalk, and gave him a hug and a kiss, and told him how much they loved him, he got out his roller blades. They were blue (of _course_), with yellow and orange lightning streaking across the surface. Jay slipped them on, making sure they weren't too loose or tight, made sure he kept his balance, and took off.

The skates were smooth and easy to glide on the hard sidewalk, he found. Jay leaned from side to side, going right along with the rhythm, and sometimes tried a trick or two, to have some fun with it.

All too soon, he made it to Ninjago High.

Once he was inside, Jay walked up to his locker.

"Nice kicks, _Junkyard Boy_," an all-too-familiar voice taunted him from behind.

_Brandon_.

He remembered his mother's words, to "ignore any bullies trying to get under your skin". So, he did just that. But Brandon leaned up against the locker next to his, waiting for an answer.

Jay sighed as he placed his homework in his locker.

"What do you want, Brandon?"

The kid in question raised an eyebrow, a haughty smirk on his face. "Just wanted to know what you were planning for the science fair."

"None of your business."

Brandon frowned. "_Look at me_." He grabbed the skates out of Jay's hands and threw them into the trash can behind them.

Jay's eyes widened, a sort of longing look on his face as he heard his new roller blades hit the metal bottom of the trash can. Then he turned to glare at Brandon. "Hey!"

Brandon smirked again. "I wanted to know what you were building for the science fair, so I would know beforehand what we would all see _fail_."

Jay flinched. Yeah, he had a bit of a reputation for that, didn't he. Ever since preschool he had been the class tinkerer. And when the science fair rolled in during the fourth grade, he built ambitious, revolutionary "inventions" to show. They usually went well, too, until a screw he had forgotten about went loose, or something exploded, and he would get a C.

He stood up a bit straighter, showing a type of boldness he didn't even think he had. "Anything I build will be better than what you can do. And this time, it _won't _blow up."

If anything, his uphold attempt only amused Brandon, and he turned away. "We'll see."

Once he left, Jay sighed and walked over to the garbage bin, pulling out his skates. Luckily, they weren't messed-up or broken, so he put them back in his locker.

**Later...**

_Let's see, what's a _good _project I can make for the science fair?_

The sun was almost to the edge of the horizon, the sky changing into the proper pink and orange colors of dusk, and turning the sand in front of him a pretty purple. Jay leaned up against the hard stone wall surrounding his parents' scrapyard, notebook in hand, and pencil held up to his chin.

He had come up with some creative inventions in the past, but none of them were really science-fair worthy, and anyways, he could never trust one _not_ to blow up in his face.

So, what could he do?

Suddenly, the perfect idea popped into his head.

Before he could forget, Jay wrote down his idea, even drawing a quick sketch of what would be his first prototype. No matter what Brandon said, this was sure to blow away the judges.


	3. Master of Ice (Pt 1)

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School's been brutal. / Well, here it is, Zane's chapter!**

**. . .**

Zane was preparing dinner for his father.

Violet berry soup, his favorite. While it was a hard and picky dish to serve, the meal afterwards would be worth it, his father said. Zane crushed the berries by hand, as the recipe stated, and brushed them into the bowl, their reddish-violet color staining his synthetic skin.

Seconds after he grabbed the correct spices, he heard Dr. Julian's quiet footsteps descending down the stairs.

"Dinner will be ready soon, father," Zane called out from the kitchen.

"Zane," Dr. Julian replied, "we will need one more bowl of soup for supper tonight."

Zane turned curiously to him. "Why?"

Only then did the droid notice the second pair of feet descending the stairs along with his father.

"We have a guest tonight, son."

**. . .**

Their guest was an old man, though younger than Dr. Julian, with shaggy white hair, a short beard and a mustache, and crow's feet decorating his eyes. His eyes were an icy blue, similar to Zane's own eye color. He seemed very quiet and secluded, but was always polite.

Zane watched him carefully throughout supper. And, it wasn't just because his father told him that this was a good opportunity for social interaction, since he hadn't really met other people before. No... this man seemed weird. Something was off about him.

He complimented everything Zane had made for dinner, and overall seemed very interested in him. But, Zane was still suspicious. He never spoke a word to the man, staying silent through the whole meal.

Zane heard from Dr. Julian and the man's conversation that he had come in from the blizzard outside. Though, he hardly seemed fazed by the cold at all. Just a bit annoyed. The man should have frostbite or hypothermia, or even a small cold with the attire he had on, but he didn't even look chilled.

So, Zane came up with the idea that he should be extremely careful around the stranger. Anything he said to Zane would be thought through carefully, and answered carefully.

This man was not getting out of his sight.

But, after dinner, Zane had to wash the dishes. So, he did just that.

He could sense the stranger's presence coming up behind him, and could hear his light footsteps on the stone floor. Picking his head up slightly, Zane spoke up first.

"Do you need anything?" He kept his voice monotone and calm.

He heard the man chuckle. "No, Zane. I was just wondering where your father was, so I could talk to him."

_Why does he want my father? _Zane pondered. _What else could he possibly need?_

"My father usually heads for bed right after supper. I will shut down as soon as I finish cleaning up the place," he replied.

The man stepped up beside him. Zane kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, when he spoke up again.

"You never told me nor my father your name," he said. "Do you have one?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, I have a name."

Zane turned to look at him curiously. _Did I sound silly? Does everybody outside of the forest have a name? Does this man think I am naïve and inexperienced?_

"But I would rather not tell you it," the man replied. "Though, you may call me 'Ice', if you wish."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "'Ice'? Do your friends call you that?"

"Ice" smiled. "Yes, they do."

Zane made a noise, then turned back to the dishes he was supposed to be scrubbing.

"Zane, I must tell you, I believe your father did a great job of building you," Ice said, after a moment of silence. "I am fascinated with how similar you look to a human. I have never seen a machine built so uniquely."

Did he just _compare _him to a human? Did he just call him a _machine_?

Something inside him snapped, and Zane suddenly felt more angry at this man than he should be. Of course, he couldn't lose his temper, so he gently placed the dish he was holding in the sink and turned to the man.

"My father has built many 'machines', and I am not one of them," Zane replied calmly. "I am an _Android_, and unlike a machine, I have a will."

How "Ice" responded so neutrally, he didn't know. "I apologize, Zane, I did not think. I will try to be more sensitive next time."

The stranger seemed to take what he said into consideration, so Zane continued cleaning after dinner without a word.

**. . .**

Zane suddenly snapped out of unconsciousness. He placed both hands on the soft white comforter of his bed, and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

_That's odd_, he thought. Usually he did not break out of sleep mode before his usual wake-up time, except when something loud disturbed him—

_Knock, knock!_

Alright. That made more sense. The knocks were light on his metal door, as if the person on the other side did not want to wake anyone else up. Zane quietly got up and out of his bed, carefully choosing his steps, so he would not land on any creaky floor boards. He opened the door a peek, and...

"Ice?" said Zane, the name no longer used as a mystery on his tongue. "What are you doing up so late?"

Just to be sure, Zane checked his internal clock, and saw that it was barely thirteen minutes past four. He would normally have to be up in an hour or two.

Ice's countenance was a serious one as he pushed the bedroom door open a bit wider.

"Zane, I need you to come downstairs for me."

Before the droid had a chance to respond, the man had his hand wrapped tightly around Zane's own, and was quite literally dragging him down the stairs. Zane tried his best to keep up with him.

_What is this man in such a rush for?_

Once they reached the bottom floor of his father's laboratory, Ice motioned for Zane to sit down.

"What is the problem?" He asked, hesitantly taking a seat on their gray couch. "Do you need anything? Are we in danger? Because if we are, I'm sure I can—"

Zane shut up when Ice grabbed both his hands, crouching down and holding them in front of him. His first instinct was to pull away, but something else told him that there was something bigger going on.

He looked up into the man's icy blue eyes. "What—"

"Do not worry, Zane," Ice interrupted. "I will explain."

Zane blinked, and the man continued.

"I haven't just run into your home because of the weather," he said. "I've come for something else. I have been thinking hard about this for a long time, and now, I am absolutely certain that _you_ are the person I am looking for.

Zane felt the man squeeze his hands at the word "you", and he turned back up at Ice. "What are you talking about?"

"I assure you, nothing I am about to do will hurt."

_Surely this man is crazy!_

Ice closed his eyes, and Zane was momentarily horrified when his hands began to glow inhumanly, the hands that he himself was holding. They shone brighter and brighter, the white color morphing into a bright blue, like the man's eyes.

He identified the substance as ice.

The ice building in his hands slowly crawled up to Zane. It circled around his hands, climbed up his arms, crawled past his shoulders, and seeped into his temples.

The feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was cold at first, but eventually made itself welcome inside him, and he was comfortable with it. It made him feel more alive. It made him feel powerful.

He turned to the large mirror hanging on the wall beside him, and saw that his eyes were glowing.

Zane turned back to "Ice". The action was certainly taking a lot out of the man, by the way he looked as if he was moments away from fainting. Soon enough, the blue glow faded, and Zane was suddenly hit with another wave of panic, harder than a brick wall.

Ice smiled weakly. "All will be explained to you in time," he replied vaguely. But, then he clutched Zane's wrists ever tighter and said with a serious voice, "Listen, Zane. You mustn't tell anyone what we did today. Not even your father. You cannot speak a word of this, until the right time."

Zane blinked, and before he could utter another word, the old man was out the door. Zane raced after him, his mind overflowing with questions, but when he opened the door, he could see no one. Only tall, bare birch trees, a deep purple sky, and freshly fallen snow.

It was if... he had vanished.

"Zane!" a familiar voice called.

Dr. Julian scurried down the steps, and came up beside him, looking out with him at the snow.

"What are you doing up?" he asked. "And where is our guest?"

Zane opened his mouth, about to explain to his father exactly what happened, but stopped himself.

_"You mustn't tell anyone what we did here today."_

Zane replaced his confused frown with a smile, a smile he tried hard to make look natural. "Our guest needed to leave early for important business. I heard him leaving, and wished him goodbye as he left."

Dr. Julian breathed a sigh of relief. "Goodness, I thought something was wrong. Come on, son, let's get back to bed."

Zane nodded, still smiling.

And that night, he couldn't go back to sleep.


	4. Master of Fire (Pt 1)

**I was originally gonna post this on Saturday, but it was so short I was finished by today, so here you go! Big thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! :)**

**. . .**

_It was a sunny summer afternoon in Ignacia; a Tuesday, Kai knew so far. He was proud of himself for knowing it was a Tuesday. He had been keeping careful track, after he asked his mom for the day on Monday. _

_Kai watched the sun's bright yellow rays shine through the entrance of the blacksmith's shop and mask his father's forge. He loved stepping into the light and soaking in the sun, squinting when it got in his eyes, and making shapes in his own shadow. He also loved this time of day, the smell of grass, honeysuckle, peaches, fire and warmth and sunshine, he loved it all._

_He frowned in confusion when he realized his dad wasn't working in the forge. Usually he would laugh and ask Kai what he was doing, and Kai would tell him he was playing with the sunshine. He would tell his son what he was working on and show him exactly how he could help._

_But, he wasn't there._

_Oh, that's right. Mama had told him that he had gone out on an errand. His little amber-brown eyes wandered over to the sword left on the anvil, and he got the most amazing, greatest idea ever._

I can help Papa with his work! _Kai_ _thought. _I've seen him do it tons of times, I can at least finish his sword for him!

_Kai walked forward and reached up to grab the handle of the sword, which was dangling just off the edge of the anvil. If only his papa could see him now, tall enough to reach his sword! _

_He gave a little noise of frustration. His fingers barely grazed the handle. He just needed to reach a little higher... but it wasn't enough. Kai prepared to jump, and he did manage to touch the handle, just enough for it to fall._

_The weapon flipped completely over like a catapult. Little Kai's eyes widened in horror as he watched the sword, which happened to still be blazing hot from lying in the forge, head straight for him._

_The hot metal on the sharp iron tip headed right for the unsuspecting five-year-old. Kai just managed to shut both eyes tightly closed before the hot sword reached his left eye. He screamed as burning, white-hot pain exploded through his eyebrow, eyelid, and cheek..._

**. . .**

Kai, fourteen, awoke in a cold sweat, his body shooting forward into a sitting position.

_Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream..._

He repeated those words over and over again, trying to get a grasp on them, fingering through his unruly brown spikes the entire time. He didn't understand. That memory took place years ago.

The time he was nearly permanently blinded, and just a little bit scarred for life. Of course, once it stopped burning so gratingly, his five-year-old self was fine with a scar. Kai thought it looked _cool_. Now, it was only irritating. Ugly. A sign of foolishness. He removed the hand from his hair and placed it over his left eye, tracing the odd upside-down Y-shaped mark that decorated that side of his face.

Kai shuddered. Eventually, though, he lifted both legs and hung them over the side of his bed. It was time to get up.

**. . .**

Even if Nya said he had "aquaphobia" and hated water and couldn't swim, Kai enjoyed the warm showers he took in the morning wholeheartedly. And, since he actually woke up three hours before his sister instead of the other way around, the extra water pressure was a plus.

Once he was completely dry (don't worry, he made sure), he made his way to the small kitchen area in their blacksmith's shop, Four Weapons. Kai would have to wait to make breakfast, so he and his twelve-year-old sister, Nya, could eat it together. So he prepared a cup of coffee (caffeinated, mind you) to pass the time.

After three eventless hours of scrolling through random stuff on his phone, and a second cup of coffee, Nya (_finally_) was up.

Kai put his phone down and grinned. "What'll it be, sis?"

Nya smiled, tiredly, back. "We still have eggs, right?"

"Yup," He was already one step ahead of her, two farm-fresh eggs hovering over the skillet. "Scrambled, I'm guessing."

Nya hummed in agreement, making herself comfortable at their small dining table. "Just don't burn them this time."

Kai turned around, giving her an expression of mock-offense, and replied, "I would _never _ruin the eggs. Y'know, because I'm _such _a talented chef."

His sister laughed. "You've made us breakfast for nine years now, and you _still _can't help burning every recipe you've come across."

Kai gave a _humph_, turning back to the stove without another word.

Once he dubbed the eggs finished (and they were _not _burned, Kai thought they were _perfect_), he sat down with Nya at the table. He usually didn't care for scrambled eggs as much as they were fried, but he supposed dumping enough hot sauce on top would help him focus more on the taste than the texture.

Apparently, he proved himself right. But, just as Kai was finishing his third cup, Nya asked a question he never saw coming.

"Do you think we'll ever see our parents again?"

The same way he had his dream last night, this came out of nowhere. Kai was taken back, so he hesitantly set his mug down and turned to her. She looked back at him, stormy sea-blue eyes meeting amber ones.

"I- I don't really know, Nya," he replied, slowly. "They left so suddenly, there's no way of telling. But I think they'll come back. They have to. They loved us."

Nya nodded, silently stirring tea with a small silver spoon. "I guess we just have to keep an open mind."

Oh, Kai wanted to tell her. _Badly_.

He wanted to tell her how unsure he was. He wanted to warn her that their parents might never come back. They hadn't seen them in so long, they had been missing for so long.

One thing was for sure: they had to be dead.

But, Kai loved his little sis too much. He had to protect her from the truth.

It may be lying, but as long as he lived, Nya would never know.

**. . .**

**I'm sorry.**


	5. Master of Earth (Pt 2)

**Alright, I'm probably pushing my luck a little right now, but in this chapter Cole and an OC of mine have a pretty... _strong _relationship. I do understand that a whole lot of people do not appreciate this (trust me, I have the same feelings), but I hope some of you will still try and read it. Spoiler alert— it doesn't last long.**

**Also, all of the ninja's separate chapters take place at different times, though in the same year. Kai's is sometime in the middle of summer, Cole's is in the winter (along with Zane's), and Jay's is just before school's out. But, near the end, it all happens in late summer.**

**Please enjoy!**

**. . .**

Cole had been at Marty Oppenheimer's for nearly three months now, and he had made a _few _friends.

One of them, remarkably, was the girl he bumped into on the very first day, Audrey. She was just as nice as she seemed on the day they met. She was chirpy, funny, talkative (very), she always seemed bright and happy, and whenever Cole was around her, she usually made him laugh.

Right now, he sat inside a local café for an early breakfast with his comrades. That morning had been a particularly chilly one- the first frost, one of many, soon to be snow, he thought- and Audrey was reliving the time when it snowed abundantly on Thanksgiving, but not at all on Christmas Day. Though he didn't want anybody to think anything of it, Cole kept sneaking glances at her while he sketched.

(No, he did _not _have a crush, not at all. They were... just friends. Yeah.)

Eventually, Cole turned all of his attention on his drawing.

"I am _so _glad we chose to meet here instead of eating the awful food in the cafeteria," the girl to Cole's right droned on. "If we hurry, we might even have some spare time when we get back."

The girl who spoke was Audrey's close friend, Dakota. She seemed pretty laid back, like Cole usually acted, but was also confident and competitive. Dakota was the type of person with determination, who would always jump right into things without question. But, she at least had _some _common sense.

She had long, curly brown hair she kept halfway down her back, tan skin, and almond-brown eyes. She occasionally wore a lavender headband Audrey lended to her to keep hair out of her eyes.

"Mm, and the coffee here is _so good_!" Audrey complimented, starry-eyed, hugging her drink.

Dakota chuckled. Eli, who was on Cole's left, turned and saw that he hadn't finished his coffee, or even touched his muffin.

"Dude, are you gonna finish that?" Eli asked. "We might have to leave soon."

Cole didn't answer. He looked too focused on the paper in front of him, and the pencil he held in his hand.

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Earth to Cole."

When he still didn't reply, she uttered the words, "Earth to _Nicholas_," with the slightest hint of a smirk on her face.

Sure enough, Cole looked up, and glared at Dakota.

She laughed, and soon the rest of the table was laughing as well.

Cole rolled his eyes, taking a hold of his cup. "Not funny." He took a sip, only to realize his black coffee had gone lukewarm, and he stuck his tongue out in response.

"I told you, you needed to drink that," Eli replied in between wheezes.

Eli was the last person in Cole's little clique. He had dirty blonde hair that was combed to the side in little waves, and hazel eyes. He was cocky and a bit full of himself at times, but was always very loyal to his friends. He wouldn't leave them for a hundred bucks.

After a minute or two, Eli snuck a glance at Cole's drawing. It was a beautiful landscape picture, of a rolling valley littered with spruce trees, and behind that a wide range of fault-block mountains. The moon shone brightly behind the peak of the tallest mountain.

He scoffed. "What is it with you and mountains?"

Cole frowned, putting the sketchbook back in his bag. "I just like them," he muttered.

Audrey sighed. "Leave him alone, Eli."

Across the table, Dakota groaned loudly.

"If you're so content with sketching and mountains and rock-climbing, why do you even come to this dumb singing school?" she complained.

His brow furrowed. "It's not at all like that, Dakota. If I left this school, I would never hear the end of it from my dad."

"I get that," Eli pitched in, taking a sip from his coffee. "I have about zero talent in anything involving music, but my dad made me come here to keep his family's 'legacy' or whatever."

Cole nodded. Eli _definitely _knew where he was coming from.

"Oh, I'm fine with music," Dakota began, setting down her iced cappuccino. "In fact, I _love _to sing. It's those strict rules and curfew I hate."

Dakota was a good singer, too. Cole had only ever heard her once, but in that small snippet of time, he most definitely appreciated her wide range and bold voice.

Audrey made a noise, and they all turned to her.

"You guys," she began, clicking her tongue. "Am I the only one here that _likes _school?"

Eli gave a wry smile. "Yes, we all know you _love _Marty Oppenheimer's."

Audrey nodded absently, turning her attention back to breakfast.

After a while, Dakota changed the subject. "Okay, anyone else psyched for the field trip next weekend?" She asked.

Cole perked his head up, sensing the rise in excitement. "The one to that ski resort by the Mountains of Impossible Height?"

"Yup."

Eli grinned. "Yeah, I'm psyched. I can't wait to try snowboarding! What about you, Cole?" He nudged him, and Cole winced. "You gonna try down the hill with me?"

Cole smirked. "Of course I'm gonna try it. I might not be as good as you, though."

Audrey sighed. "I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet. It has to be beautiful up there; plus, I heard their hot chocolate was _amazing_."

"I'm with you, sister," replied Dakota. "I get to take pictures for the school paper, anyways. Some snaps of skiing kids and some mountain pics will be nice."

Cole hummed, turning to glance at the sketchbook resting in his backpack. He couldn't wait for the weekend. Maybe he could finally spend some time in the mountains without his dad there to keep him away.

**. . .**

Cole trudged sullenly into the ski resort lodge, wincing as his shoulder throbbed in pain once more. He placed his rented snowboard against the wall and scanned the lodge for someplace to sit down.

_I am _never _going snowboarding again_, he thought.

Soon though, Cole spotted a familiar redhead drinking cocoa by the fireplace, and took note of how comfy she looked on the robin egg-colored sofa.

He shuffled through the few people in the lodge, all the while clutching his shoulder, until he made his way to the fireplace.

"Hey, Audrey," he greeted, a sheepish smile on his face.

She looked at him, and her whole face lighted up at the sight of him.

"Cole!" She patted the cushion beside her. "Sit with me."

He moved to sit next to her, but winced again when his shoulder brushed hers. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"What happened?" Audrey asked.

Cole gently rubbed the spot that had been damaged. "Er, Eli was doing a bunch of these cool tricks n' stuff—"

"Oh no."

He chuckled. "I- uh, wanted to try it... so, I went for like a flip or something, but ended up slipping." He gestured where his right arm had landed on the (very not soft) snow.

"Yeesh," Audrey tutted, reaching out her hand to touch it— only for Cole to pull away. Her expression fell, and she retracted her hand.

Cole realized his mistake.

"Oh, sorry- I didn't mean—"

Audrey shook her head. "No, it's fine. You're in pain."

Cole's eyes shifted to the floor, and they sat in a tense silence. But soon, he spoke up and changed the subject.

"Wanna go explore the grounds? There's gotta be something else cool up here."

Audrey picked her head up. "Sure."

**. . .**

After about half an hour of wandering aimlessly around the resort, Cole came across what might be one of the prettiest scenes he'd ever set his eyes on. A stone bridge arched over a frozen stream, the icicles dangling from the bridge and the railing resembling teeth. On one end of the bridge was the path leading pack to the lodge, and on the other was a path cutting through a forest full of snowy pines.

He heard a tiny gasp escape Audrey's lips.

"How lovely," Audrey said, stepping up onto the bridge to marvel at the moon. Cole moved to stand on the other side of her. From where they were, they could both easily see the range of mountains, with the moon resting behind the summit and brightening the whole resort.

It was oddly similar to his drawing, he thought.

"Well, you finally got your trip to the mountains," Audrey spoke up again. "Eli was making fun of you for it, but I like that you like adventure and art together, even if you don't care for music."

Cole smiled faintly. "Thanks."

They stood in silence for a while. He thought it was nice.

"Y'know, Cole," she began in a low voice, eyes on the railing, "I just wanted to let you know that you're always so cool and calm and understanding. And whenever I'm around you, I always feel so much safer." Audrey lifted her eyes to look at the moon. "You're like a big brother too me. Or..." she blushed and stopped.

Cole could feel his cheeks heating up. _She _felt like this?

"I- um, thanks, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck nervously as he let himself smile. "You've left a bit of an impact on me, too. My life is always so stressful and serious, but you're a nice change of pace."

Audrey's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but she smiled also.

Silence fell upon them like a blanket once again, and this time, Cole knew he had to be the one to pull it off. It was definitely risky, but he had to let her know at some point.

"Audrey," he began, mentally cursing himself. "I... I like you. I think you're- I mean, I _like _you."

She blinked. "W- what?"

Cole wanted to tell her exactly how he felt, but now he was at a loss of words and frozen. He bit his lip, trying to think of what to say next. Man, he messed this one up... just another Cole mistake...

But, Audrey saw the problem, so she put a hand on his midnight-blue jacket and squeezed it.

"Dude, it's..." she stared at her hand, then looked into his eyes. "It's okay. You're... you're cool too."

The smile on her face suggested that it was more than that.

Audrey reached out her hand- opposite the one that was still clutching his jacket- and placed it against his warm, brown cheek. Cole leaned into the touch.

Maybe they could have something. Sure, all he had was a bit of a crush on Audrey, but maybe... they could be something more. Nothing too serious, of course, but perhaps—

Before he could respond or even process what was happening, Audrey had pulled him into a kiss.

At first, Cole panicked. He had never kissed anyone other than his own mother before, and jumping right into something like this was very, _very _much alarming. What should he do? Should he roll with it? Should he pull away? Was this wrong?

But, Cole realized that this was something that he... wanted. And, if the girl started it, it had to be okay.

So, he closed his eyes, and gave into the lips pressing against his own.

Hardly ten yards away, Dakota was descending the hill with Eli, camera in hand. They were about to cross the frozen stream in their path, when...

"Ooh! Eli, look!" Dakota pointed downstream, where the two could easily spot the dark silhouettes of a couple kissing.

She clasped her hands together, a faint smile on her face. "Aww... young love." Her eyes widened. "They must be from our group! I have to capture this."

She raised her lens and snapped a few pictures. But, Eli's eyes widened in mild horror, and he smacked Dakota in the arm.

"Dakota. Dakota, Dakota," he repeated, now violently shaking her shoulder. He pointed to the couple on the bridge. "Don't those two look familiar to you?"

"Eli, I already took a bunch of..." her voice trailed off.

Dakota's wide brown eyes made contact with Eli's terrified hazel ones.

"Oh no."

Back on the bridge, Audrey was the first to let go, a blush evident on her cheeks.

"I should not have done that."

"It's okay, I enjoyed it."

"We are _way _too young. What am I gonna say to my parents..."

Out of nowhere, a new voice entered the conversation. "Letter for a- uh... Nicholas Brookestone?"

Cole turned curiously to look behind Audrey, only to see the postman (The _postman_, of all people? Was he watching this whole time?) holding out a letter to him. Cole hesitantly took it.

At first glance, Cole recognized his full name in the middle, which meant it had to be from his dad. Second, he realized that the handwriting was jagged and messy, as if the writer had been trying to hurry.

Cole sighed. He _swore _he told his parents about his field trip for the weekend.

He turned back to the postman. "Thanks, but please call me Cole."

The man shrugged and went on his way.

Cole tore through the envelope, and skimmed through the letter.

Audrey noticed his eyes begin to squint.

She saw them widen in realization. Or... maybe surprise.

Cole swore that his heart was beating a mile a minute and was about to rip itself apart. His voice was shaky, but he excused himself as strongly as he could.

Audrey watched as he ran off, faster than she'd ever seen him go.

**. . .**

**Who would've thought I'd write a _kissing _scene this early.** **Thanks for reading! And, please tell me whether the scene was cheesy or not. I was not going for a that theme in this story!**


	6. Master of Lightning (Pt 2)

Turns out, in the two weeks the students had to complete their projects, Jay only had time to finish the prototype. His idea was to build a pair of mechanical wings, and write a project on aerodynamics and flight maneuvers.

The wings themselves were big and bat-like, built from sturdy cloth spread over long metal poles, and worked like a short-distance hang glider. Except, Jay crafted them a bit differently. He made it so that when you flapped the wings, you would (hopefully) bump up a little higher, so you could glide even longer.

But, so far, none of the students seemed very interested in his project. Well, besides the ones who were waiting patiently for something to go wrong.

"Jay Walker," someone spoke up next to him. Jay looked up and recognized the blonde with kind gray eyes as one of the judges.

Ms. Grace, the youngest science teacher at Ninjago High, smiled. "And what have you done for the fair?"

Jay eagerly explained how his creation worked- with a beaming grin on his face, even if his heart was pumping and palms sweating- even doing a short demonstration with the wings. He made sure to point out all the most important parts, and even told her his inspiration: the hang gliding trip his parents took several years ago.

Ms. Grace looked very interested in his project, making sure to jot down notes on her little yellow notepad. She even seemed a little impressed.

Jay took this as a good sign. Maybe he actually had a chance at winning.

**. . .**

A week later, on the same day, was the day they showed the results of the fair on the school board. Jay got there as early as possible to see how he had come out.

His shoulders sagged. He didn't win first.

He won second.

And, Brandon's papier-mâché volcano was apparently so bad, Jay couldn't even spot it on the board.

He readjusted his backpack, a large grin slowly growing on his face.

Jay had done better than Brandon.

He had done better than that stupid, low-life bully.

And, he was _excited_. Jay started to bounce up and down in the hall, drawing some attention, but he didn't care.

**. . .**

During school, Jay had been in more than a good mood, and he was now ready to head home and share the good news with his folks. He slammed the door of his locker closed, revealing the furious face of guess-who, Brandon.

His grin faded. _What does he want?_

"You probably think you're such a hotshot, don't you, Junkyard Boy?"

The way Brandon was standing blocked the exit.

_Oh no. This is a standoff._

Usually at these times, Jay would back down and let any bullies do as they please, but Brandon wasn't any bully. He was looking for a fight.

And that was just what he was going to get.

Now, Jay didn't know what came over him just then, but winning runner-up in the science fair must have given him a boost of confidence.

He lifted up his chin. "You know what? I do, Brandon," he said. "Not only did my project go perfectly, and I won _second place_, you weren't even on the board. Quite humiliating, if you ask me."

Jay noticed Brandon's eyelid twitch slightly.

"_Shut up_!" he snapped.

A few of the kids in the hallway looked up at this, drawing their attention to the fight. Jay knew he was in _big _trouble.

Brandon continued to yell at Jay, and proceeded to charge like a bull towards him. Jay didn't back away nearly as fast enough, giving the other boy enough time to land a kick at his stomach, and knocking the wind right out of him.

He couldn't breathe, he _couldn't breathe—_

Jay clawed furiously at his chest until he had the energy to cough, and he turned back to Brandon who was almost standing above him.

He stood up quickly and shoved him as hard as he could.

Several of their quickly-growing audience gave loud _oh!_'s at this, and Jay felt proud of himself.

It didn't last long, because Brandon got back up and punched him in the face.

The crowd gasped.

Jay fell back, shocked by the blow. It _hurt _where he hit, like, it _burned_, and he knew Brandon put all of his anger and rage into that punch. He tried to see through the eye that was hit, but everything looked red and fuzzy. Jay reached up to touch it, and was surprised to see blood on his hand.

_Oh no_. Jay could feel himself panicking, as tears pricked his eyes.

Before he could make more of a scene than he already had, Jay grabbed his backpack, covered his right eye with one hand, and ran.

**. . .**

Jay always hated the walk home. Usually his parents would drive him, but today- _today of all days_\- his dad had a doctor's appointment, and his family only had one car.

Having a black eye as well as a deep cut that seemed as if it would _never _stop bleeding only made the walk worse. After digging through his backpack, he found a pair of gym shorts he had only worn once, and used those as a makeshift bandage.

Eventually though, after what seemed like forever, Jay made it to the junkyard.

Edna was pacing in front of the entrance, obviously worried about Jay being late. If being even five minutes late was a problem, him taking half an hour to try and stop the bleeding must have been a little bit more than concerning.

Jay could feel salty tears starting to form in his eyes again, and before his mum could even respond, he ran to her and hid his face in her shoulder, squeezing her tight. Edna jumped a little in surprise, but hugged him back nonetheless.

"Jay, honey, what's the deal?" she asked, calmly and quietly, but Jay could hear the concern and frustration hidden in her voice. "What- what's on your face?"

Edna pulled back an edge of the gym shorts, and gasped.

She narrowed her eyes. "Jay, if anyone at school is doing this to you..."

Jay's eyes widened. No- no, it couldn't go like this. He couldn't tell his mum about the bullying. Because then Edna would call the school, and the school would call Brandon's parents, and he would get in trouble.

And, learning that Jay was a tattletail as well as a wimp would _not _help his cause.

He smiled. A weak, quite obviously fake smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"No, Ma, it's not like that," he replied. "I lost control of my skates, and hit a pole. No need to worry."

Edna's expression softened. "Oh Jay, I knew those things would be dangerous. Come inside, and I'll get to treating that."

Once they were inside their old blue trailer, his mum cleaned the cut and dabbed it with antibiotic ointment. And, as she gently pressed an odd type of adhesive bandage over his eyebrow, Jay heard her mutter under her breath that it was going to scar.

**. . .**

**Fun fact, I went skating for the first time in ten years the other day. (Skates, not blades, mind you)**

** IcetheStars- Sure does! That man needs to know when and when not to get in other people's business!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	7. Master of Fire (Pt 2)

_"I'm sorry, Papa," little Kai mumbled sourly. "I was jus' trying to help."_

_Ray sighed. Maya was still wrapping the remainder of Kai's bandages around his head, (around his _entire _head, and he wasn't a very experienced father yet, but he thought that was a _bit _much), covering his eye, being very gentle as she did so. It had taken a while to dry Kai's tears, but once it was all over, Ray was surprised at how tough his son was._

_"It's okay, Kai, it was an accident," Ray assured. "But, Daddy's already told you how dangerous it is in his workplace. I do hope you've learned your lesson."_

_Kai nodded somberly, his lower lip still trembling slightly._

_Ray turned to his wife. She was the nurse around here._

_"Should we take him to a hospital?" he asked in a low voice._

_Maya shook her head. "No concussion, no serious bleeding. He should be fine."_

_Ray looked back down at his son, and felt terrible when he did. Kai just wanted to help him with his _job_. Maybe there was some way he could make his kid feel better?_

_"Hey, buddy?" Kai looked up, and he continued. "Wanna watch Daddy make a real sword in his workshop?"_

_Kai's little amber-brown eyes lit up in a nice, sort of warm way that reminded Ray exactly why he had children._

_Maya smiled next to him. "I can watch Nya while you do that," she whispered. She headed over to the crib in the corner of their living room, tenderly picking up the wide-eyed toddler that was his daughter and balancing her on her hip._

_Ray smirked, grabbing Kai's hand and leading him into the forge. He pointed to a small (wooden, oops) stool a good ways away from the fire, and told him to keep his distance. Kai eagerly climbed up on the stool, as if he hadn't nearly blinded himself there hardly half an hour ago._

_Ray put on his leather apron, and slipped on gloves. He grabbed a hammer and the unfinished sword from earlier._

_"To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal, and plenty of heat," he began, placing the sword on the forge. Kai watched, wide-eyed in wonder, as the piece of metal slowly started to glow from the heat of the hot coals. He watched his father pound the sword with a hammer on the anvil, making each hit powerful, but precise._

_Soon, it was the perfect shape and sharpness of a real katana._

_Ray took the katana, and after examining it, slowly lowered it into a bucket of water. Kai immediately adored listening to the _hiss _of hot metal making contact with cold water._

_"I wanna try!" Kai exclaimed enthusiastically, hands reaching for the sword._

_Ray chuckled. "We'll have to wait until you're older. No matter how much fire you have, _experience _isn't something you learn overnight."_

**. . .**

For the next few weeks, Kai couldn't think of anything other than his parents and Nya.

No, really, he couldn't even _sleep_ anymore. Apparently, his body and mind had compromised on exactly four hours of restless sleep all night, no more, no less.

And he _hated it_.

Because, just ask Nya, Kai was _not _a nice person without his beauty sleep. Even trying to spark up a conversation with him was only poking the bear.

But, even if he was stressed, tired, miserable and sore, he had to keep working. The work they did in their blacksmith's shop was how he was able to feed him _and _his sister, was it not?

_Hangry _was not something Kai wanted to add onto the list.

Today, he wanted to work on something as simple as a katana. Sure, he wasn't the best at his father's old job (Nya said he was terrible), but he was good enough. At least they were able to sell the stuff for _something_.

Kai placed a fresh slab of metal on the forge. He put on his dad's old apron and gloves, and snatched the hammer from its place on the wall. Once the metal reached the right temperature, he removed it from the heat and placed it on the anvil adjacent to the forge.

It was when he started pounding that his worries came back to haunt him.

Kai tried to ignore them, but they just kept coming back.

_What if Nya figures out that our parents really are... gone?_

He hit the metal a little harder, to try and drown out his own thoughts with the loud banging of the hammer.

_How will she react? Will she take it out on me?_

As Kai continued hammering, he forgot about precision, and began using it entirely to let out his frustrations. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the harder he hit. Which, if you didn't know, was extremely hazardous in a forge.

Luckily, Nya heard the noise, and ran downstairs to check it out.

Her gray eyes widened as they set on the firework show, and she rushed forward, grabbing ahold of his arm before the hammer could come down and strike again.

"Kai- Kai, stop!" Nya begged. "You _know _what Dad would say about your safety—"

Kai turned to glare at her, and she shrunk a little bit. Because, that- well, the fire in his eyes said it all too well.

He was _angry_.

"Dad is dead!"

Kai saw his sister shrink a little bit more in surprise, eyes wide with shock.

But then... oh no. He let his temper get the best of him again.

He immediately raised a hand littered with burn scars to his mouth, watching in silent horror as Nya's expression shifted from surprise, to sadness, to disappointment.

"Kai—"

"No. Nya... I am _so _sorry. I should have just let you know from the beginning. It was—"

"I know."

Kai stopped. Then... did she...

Little tears glistened on the outside of her slightly-puffy red eyes that he knew she didn't want him to see.

His mind could hardly process what she said, so he stared.

"What?" he finally asked.

Nya's lips curled into a weak smile. "I'm not _stupid_, Kai. For them to have been gone this long without a clue... it's practically obvious. I know you were only trying not to hurt me, but it was a pretty dumb move."

That moment, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

She _knew_. And, he didn't have to go through a heartbreaking conversation to explain it to her.

"Are you crying?"

Kai then became aware of the tiny tricklets of water snaking their way down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his wrist.

"No," he lied. "You?"

Nya gave a watery laugh. "Not one bit," she replied, though tears were evident on her face.

Kai grinned, spreading out both arms. "Come here."

Nya laughed a little more, returned Kai's hug, and stood on her tiptoes so she could place her chin in the crook on his shoulder. No lie, her brother gave the _best _hugs. His chest and arms were still warm from working with the fire, and she could just feel his heartbeat, steady and strong.

"I'm sorry."

**. . .**

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Master of Ice (Pt 2)

**There is a bit of a time skip in between this and the last chapter, but you probably already know what happens in between. This is also one of the ****longest chapters I've written... next to Cole's next one. Prepare yourselves, guys.**

**ColdWaterChicken— Here you go! Really sorry for the wait, this is just how I planned all of the chapters. Haha, it's okay. I hate waiting too!**

**. . .**

"I am Zane. I am a teenager."

Over and over, the name circled through his head.

"I am Zane. I am lost. I am an orphan."

On and on he trudged through the snow, with no idea on where he was.

"I am Zane. I cannot remember anything of my past life."

He tried and tried to get a grasp on any solid memory, to hold it in his hands and never let go, but everything was just... blank.

All he could remember was his name.

"I am Zane."

He was in a forest. That was what he knew. A forest he _believed _seemed vaguely familiar, yet still one he didn't recognize at all.

There were trees. Many trees. Many tall, white birch trees.

And snow. Snow about six inches thick.

It was cold.

And it was white.

White, like his memories.

Blank and empty and white.

_Zane_.

Zane rather liked it, it was cold and pleasant and welcoming. He wanted to live here forever, but he knew he couldn't stay.

He stopped at the edge of a dirt road, only littered with more snow. He knew the best decision was to follow the road, but he was _so tired_.

How long had he been walking? How far?

It seemed like forever.

He laid down by a birch tree. Zane snuggled into the snow, trying his best to stay warm, praying that he didn't catch hypothermia. As exhaustion crept over him, he closed his eyes and slept.

**. . .**

Unbeknownst to the sleeping teen, snow had started to fall. The wind picked up, and a blizzard began to form. And during the blizzard, two young adults were walking down the same path he had laid down by just hours ago.

One was a male, around the age of twenty-face, with scruffy, dark hair and dark eyes. The girl, a few years younger than him, had dark hair halfway down her back, and her eyes were cut from the same piece of brown. They were a newly married couple, and their names were Jude and Agnes.

As they walked, hand-in-hand, Jude spoke up.

"It's getting pretty nasty," he observed, glancing up at the gloomy sky. "We should make our way home before it gets any worse."

Agnes nodded. "Wise idea."

But, as Jude was about to lead them home, she noticed something that didn't belong in the Birchwood Forest.

She gasped loudly. "Oh, dear, who is that?"

Jude looked good where Agnes was pointing, and saw a boy, of about fifteen or even sixteen years of age, lying asleep by the snow (or, at least, he hoped he was asleep). It looked as if he had been there awhile, due to the inch of snow that coated his thin, white apparel.

He rushed forward, pressing his middle and pointer finger just under the boy's jaw to test for a pulse. Oddly, it wasn't a steady beat he felt, but more of a thrum of energy.

"He's alive, I believe," Jude replied, a bit unsure.

Agnes stared worryingly down at the stranger. "Can you carry him home?"

In almost no time, Jude carried the unconscious boy all the way to their small, remote village, before the worst of the storm had hit. He gently laid him on a tiny cot they used for guests.

As his wife left to prepare chicken broth for their potentially sick houseguest, Jude studied him from head to toe.

Around where he and Agnes lived, most of the civilians sported dark hair and eyes, and olive skin they inherited from their ancestors. This boy was, quite obviously, not from around here. The kid's skin was paler than anything, though not quite in an unhealthy way, and had platinum blonde hair.

Once his wife was finished with the soup, she set it on the table next to them, and leaned forward to gently shake their "guest" awake.

The boy's eyelids flicked open to reveal pale blue irises.

He sat up immediately, which aroused some protest from Agnes. Jude watched his eyes flit around the room at the speed of a hummingbird's wings, making sure they took note of every little detail, before setting on the two people in front of him.

Finally, he spoke up. His voice was surprisingly calm and modulated.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

Jude hesitated, locking eyes with Agnes, before replying, "Well, as long as it took to get you here."

Agnes set the bowl of chicken broth on the boy's lap, and handed him a spoon.

"Take this," she ordered, "so you don't catch anything."

Their visitor stared at the bowl. He didn't seem to have much of an appetite, or maybe he just wasn't in the mood, but he did pick up his spoon and take a small sip from it. He seemed to like it, so he took another.

"We saw you lying by the edge of the road in a pile of snow, so we thought it'd be best to take you someplace warm," Jude explained. The boy continued taking slow, even spoonfuls of the broth.

He wasn't sure of it, but Jude thought he saw the boy's eyes soften a bit at that.

"Thank you," he replied.

Agnes cleared her throat, shifting her weight impatiently. "You never did tell us your name," she prodded.

The boy turned to look at her, icy blue eyes scrutinizing every inch of her.

Finally, he responded in a low voice:

"Zane."

**. . .**

"Alright. The town has decided, and this will be your home for now."

Jude held the wooden door of the cabin open for them, so Zane walked in, Agnes following behind him. They had taken the boy in for almost a week, when the village decided that Zane should have a house of his own. Which was quite hospitable, when he thought about it.

Zane had grown quite close with the newly-married couple, but now it was time to go.

The cabin was small— about the size of a large bedroom— the same size as Jude and Agnes' abode. A seven-foot-long raised cot sat in the corner, a kitchen area stood in the corner adjacent to it, a small couch lay in the middle of the room, windows were placed wherever there was room on the wall, and the ledged, wooden door stood behind him.

Zane would most definitely call it home.

He plopped his gray duffel bag on the floor. It was mostly stocked with the clothes that either he had been wearing, or clothes that Jude had given him, small, unnecessary items Agnes had gifted him, and an odd, wind-up toy car he had found in his pocket when he woke up in the forest.

As he stepped up to the dull blue couch and ran his fingers over the fabric, he turned back to the couple.

"Thank you," Zane said. "You've grown quite close to me, and I want to thank you for taking me in. I hope the two of you live very happy lives."

Agnes smiled sweetly, touched, so she stepped up and gave him a relatively short, but affectionate hug. Zane gladly returned it. Jude gave him a firm pat on the back (something he would describe as a gesture reserved for men, from what he'd seen of it), and said:

"We're glad we got to meet you," he replied. "And, don't think of this as the last time we see you. We could visit regularly, if you want."

Zane smiled. Though Agnes was amazing and kind and he loved her, he had grown particularly close with Jude. He wouldn't say he thought of him as a father figure, but more of a best friend— or an older brother.

"I would like that."

**. . .**

And, visit regularly they did.

Now it was summer, when the temperatures were warmest. But, up in the Birchwood Forest, it was still fairly cold, and snow still fell every other week. Agnes and Jude were in the process of introducing Zane to a healthy activity they enjoyed: ice-swimming.

"If you don't like it, that's okay," Agnes warned. "But take it _slow_. It takes your body a while to get used to the freezing temperatures."

They had brought him to a small, popular lake near the edge of town that was still covered in a very thin layer of mirror-like ice. Swimming at this time of year _must _have been a popular thing, because other people inhabited the lake at all sides. While Agnes explained what to do, Zane watched Jude gently crush the ice so they had a large, semicircle-shaped area to swim.

He, himself, was very excited.

"Have you ever gone swimming before?" Agnes asked.

Zane shrugged. "I don't think so."

Once Jude told them it was okay to swim, Zane watched Agnes dive right it. He took note of the huge smile on her face.

It looked like fun. He should try it.

Zane slowly walked up to the beach, and gingerly dipped his foot in the icy water. The water was cold, not in a deathly way, but in a rather refreshing way. He sat down on the sand, putting both feet in so that the water was up to his shins.

He grinned. This _was _fun.

"Come in a little farther, Zane," Jude urged. "It's not too deep."

Zane nodded. "Alright."

He stepped in, up to his knees. Soon the water reached his waist.

Once Jude gave him lessons on how to swim properly and tread water, Zane was having the time of his life. He liked the way the cold bit at his arms and legs, and how his hair went every-which-way when he submerged his head under the water.

What he liked the most, however, where the contests he had with Agnes on who could stay underwater the longest. The floor of the lake was cool and calming and quiet, great for meditation. It was also quite satisfying watching Agnes lunge for the surface before he did.

Zane didn't quite get the game, however. He didn't feel the burning in his lungs or the ache for air that most people felt. He'd stay under the water for the whole day, if he really wanted to.

When he swam back up to the surface, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Jude was examining Agnes' fingers, and all he saw in their faces was worry.

"What is wrong?" Zane asked, brows furrowed.

"My engagement band," Agnes mumbled absentmindedly, eyes focused on her bare, left ring finger. "It must have slipped off in the lake."

His eyes widened. From what he knew of weddings and their culture, the engagement band was a very important part for the promise of marriage. Even more so for Jude and Agnes.

They started poking around the bottom of the lake with their feet, but Zane knew that wouldn't help.

Taking a breath, Zane dived under the water.

A while later, Jude wiped his forehead wearily.

"I dunno, hun," he said. "I'll just have to get you another one. At least it wasn't your wedding ring."

Agnes sighed. "I suppose."

"We should probably get Z—" Jude stopped mid-sentence.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?" Then, she saw the problem.

"Where's Zane?"

All they could see was the soft rippling of the water, and other swimmers splashing around in the lake. Not Zane.

Agnes panicked. No... they shouldn't have brought him out here. Polar swimming was a _very _dangerous activity. Even if he had gotten used to the water, treading in the cold lake could have weakened his muscles after a while, which only caused one to become victim to hypothermia, or worse— he could have drowned.

Jude then settled for calling out his name, and asking other people if they had seen him, so Agnes did the same. After a while, however...

"Zane! _Zane_!"

"Yes?"

She gasped and turned around, only to see Zane treading calmly behind her.

_Safe. Unhurt. Totally not-dead._

"I found your ring," Zane replied, grinning, entirely oblivious to the look of complete shock on her face.

He held something up, and— there it was. The tiny, silver bejeweled ring Jude had given her on their engagement day, infused with three small diamonds and five tiny opals in a row.

Agnes gasped softly as she took it. "Oh, Zane, thank you so much." Her voice was hardly a whisper.

Jude came up behind her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He glanced down at the ring, then back up at Zane.

"Have you been searching this whole time?" he asked.

Zane nodded.

"But, we didn't see you come up for air..."

"I never did."

Jude raised an eyebrow. "You were gone for _five whole minutes_. You had to've come up for air at some point, at least every thirty seconds."

Zane was silent. He didn't know that. He never felt any urge to come up, he didn't see a reason, and look! He was fine.

"I... don't know," he replied hesitantly. "I guess it's just... a talent."

"Talent is right," said Agnes. "The longest I've gone is two minutes before nearly passing out. _Five _is a new record." She grinned.

Word spread fast in town. One of their own held one of Ninjago's longest breath-holding record without pure oxygen beforehand, even though Ninjago hadn't known it yet. Zane continued living in the village, visiting Jude and Agnes frequently, and spending time for himself at the bottom of the lake. But, little did anyone know that he was much more than a boy with talent.


	9. Master of Earth (Pt 3)

**Okay, from now on, I'll get into how the ninja were recruited, how they met, how they bonded, etc. So, don't leave yet!!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Aww, thank you _so _much! You have no idea how much that meant to me. I hate to say it, but Zane won't be seen again for a while. Maybe two... three chapters? Sorry you have to wait again. XD Thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

_"Yeah, she— Cole, baby, stop."_

_Nicky looked down at her four-year-old son, who was planted comfortably in her lap. He was staring at the piece of devil's food cake on the table in front of her. Every once in a while he would reach out a hand to see if he could touch it, when she was only trying to eat her cake with Lou in peace._

_But then... oh no, Cole turned to look at her with those wide, earthy brown eyes. Lou told her she gave him that look sometimes, and that he was never able to resist. _

_Then again, she and her husband were having a treat, and Cole was just hungry. A couple bites should satisfy him._

_Nicky smiled. "You wanna piece of Mommy's cake, hun?"_

_The sheepish nod he gave was enough to make her heart melt. She cut out a bite-sized piece of the chocolate cake, and spoon-fed it to Cole._

_The way his eyes lit up at the sweet taste in his mouth made even Lou smile._

_"You really do like cake, don't you?"_

**. . .**

It was a car accident.

Nicole had been driving home alone after a late night concert, and eyewitnesses say black ice caused the car to hit a tree. Doctors weren't completely sure of the cause of her death, but multiple injuries to the head and neck seemed a primary reason.

The air bag hadn't been activated.

And Cole didn't want to think about it.

Right now, he was at her funeral, along with a few family members and one or two close friends. Melancholy music played as the speaker told the audience all about her.

His dad kept dabbing at his eyes with a little white handkerchief, one arm squeezing his son's shoulder tightly.

Cole just stared at his shoes. He didn't want to cry.

**. . .**

_"Mom!" came the cry of her loved one. Nicky rushed down the staircase, and found Cole, who was eight at the time, standing in the doorway._

_She paused at the bottom of the stairs. "What is it, baby?"_

_Cole pointed at his foot. "I was playing football outside with some other kids. Eric fell and his head landed on my toe, and now it won't stop hurting."_

_Nicky bit her lip. It couldn't be something too serious._

_"Well, take off your shoes, and I'll take a look at it in the living room."_

_Sure enough, it did look serious. His big toe was discolored and bent in a direction it shouldn't be._

_It was obviously broken._

_"Can you move it?" she asked._

_Cole glared at his foot as if he expected it to shrivel up and burn. After a while, he replied, "A little bit, but it really stings."_

_Nicky nodded. Well, at least she knew what to do._

_After leaving his toe to sit in a bucket of ice water, she did her best readjusting Cole's toe and taping it. It should be fine._

_Through the entire thing, Cole didn't say a word. Didn't shed a tear, didn't whine or whimper at all._

_Nicky brushed imaginary dust off her hands to show that she was done._

_"I'm surprised, honey," she congratulated. "Most kids would have been sobbing through the whole thing. You're a real tough nut."_

_Cole grinned. "Thanks, Mom!" And In hardly a second, he was out the door._

_Her eyes widened. "Wait, Cole, you need to rest that toe—"_

**. . .**

For the first time in forever, Cole felt to soft tickle of tears sneaking their way down his cheeks.

And he didn't do anything to stop them.

He just stared at his feet.

Eventually, Cole did wipe away the tears violating his eyelids.

That was just it. He had to be tough.

**. . .**

It was the last weekend before Cole had to go back to school.

He wasn't ready. Wasn't ready to keep going back to school, to keep visiting his father every Saturday, to just keep going through the motions— without her.

His sixteenth birthday was coming up as well. He wasn't ready for that, either.

Cole was wandering through his house, letting his eyes stray to their arrangement of family pictures— only to quickly look away. What surprised him was his father in front of a mirror in the next room, adjusting his tie, as if he was going somewhere.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Lou turned around, still struggling with the bow tie (_because Mom usually tied it for him_, Cole thought sullenly), and answered:

"The Royal Blacksmiths have practice tonight, and I have to be there," his dad replied.

He didn't know why, but something snapped inside of him.

"You're still in that stupid quartet?" Cole asked.

Lou sighed. "Son, I realize you don't care as much for the performing arts as I do, but that does not mean it's stupid."

"How can you just keep singing and dancing like nothing happened?" His voice continued to rise in volume. "She's _gone_. And you act as if you don't even care!"

His dad bristled. "Nicholas, you can_not _just—"

"It's _Cole_!"

There was a dead, achingly uncomfortable silence after that. Lou stood in shock, bow tie forgotten. Cole stood there, still seething after his outburst. Realizing he had done something foolish, he combed a hand through his hair, as his mom used to do, as an easy way to let out his frustrations.

Eventually, Cole sighed.

"I'm going back to school," he grabbed his backpack, which happened to be sitting on a chair nearby, and proceeded to leave the room.

Cole paused in the doorway. He turned around.

"And I think I'll just stick to letters for now."

**. . .**

Audrey didn't get it.

Cole had been absent for the entire weekend now— the rest of their group returned from the mountains on Monday, and he had missed the whole thing. She knew he loved nature (he loved anything other than standing on a stuffy stage in front of an audience), and would only skip something like this if it was serious.

So, yeah. She was worried.

Even stranger, when Cole returned Tuesday morning, he didn't make any social interaction with anyone. He didn't stay with his usual clique at lunch. He didn't sit next to her in the classes they took.

As their teacher droned on about whole notes and rests and reading music, Audrey tried making eye contact with him. She swore his brown flicked toward her blue ones for a moment, but after that, there was nothing.

Something was wrong, and she was going to find out.

Audrey spotted her chance when she passed the rehearsal room, and saw Cole going over the moves of a mandatory recital their whole school was having next month. The theme was all about the history of music— from the Baroque Era to the more modern styles— and he seemed to have just started from the beginning.

Audrey was surprised. Each move was confident and precise, his footwork wasn't sloppy, and Cole seemed to be... _enjoying _it.

Unfortunately, he stopped when he saw her signature red locks peeking in from the window. His eyes settled on hers for a moment, before shifting back down on the floor. Cole didn't make any move to leave, so she took that as an invitation inside.

_This is it_, she realized. _I can finally talk with him_.

Audrey slowly opened the door. By now, Cole was sitting down on the steps with his eyes on her. Whatever he was trying to hide the past few days, he seemed to have given up by now.

She took a seat beside him.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You looked like you were having fun," she replied. "And, that one part in the classical piece you performed perfectly."

A weak smile made itself known on Cole's face. "Thanks."

"You never told us how good you were at dancing. Well, we knew you were okay at it, but we never knew you really _liked _it."

Cole winced at _us_, and then there was a moment of silence.

"So... what's up?" Audrey finally asked.

He sighed. "I'm sorry I've been so distant. It's just, a lot of stuff happened while I was away, and I wasn't completely sure if I was ready to talk to you guys yet."

She raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

He looked away, and said something very quietly.

"My mom died."

Dread settled like a knot in the pit of her stomach, and for a split second, she felt as if she was going to cry. It was just, Cole had been suffering enough as it was. He talked about his mother as if she was the only thing that kept him going. And now, with her gone...

"I— I'm so sorry," Audrey finally said, placing a hand hesitantly on his shoulder. Cole didn't pull away, but he didn't lean into it, either.

Audrey always thought she had the amazing ability to read people without them having to say anything. She thought she knew Cole like the back of her hand. But, now, she couldn't tell at all what she was thinking.

Was he sad? Disappointed? Angry? All of the above? There were thousands of possibilities.

Cole sighed— a deep sigh, a sigh that meant he was _done_, he was ready to _move on_, because that's what Cole did.

Cole didn't dwell on things from the past. He didn't hold grudges.

...did he?

Audrey wasn't sure of anything anymore, because when he lifted up his head to look at her, he delivered a sentence she'd never thought she'd hear.

"I'm gonna run away."

She blinked, shocked. "You... what?"

"I can't carry on with school anymore. I only came because _she _wanted me to."

"Oh," Audrey looked down, then immediately picked her head back up. "Wait, no. You looked like you _enjoyed _dancing up there," she gestured wildly to the stage behind them. "How can you give this up?"

Cole narrowed his eyes. "My dad expects too much of me. I won't make the distance he wants me to reach with this dumb stage fright. I'll only disappoint him."

Audrey wanted to keep arguing, but she was quiet. She pondered what he said.

Cole... wasn't... _happy _here.

He wasn't happy learning about music, he wasn't happy with singing and dancing on stage.

He thought he couldn't _do _it, and would only disappoint his father by trying.

He wanted to be free, to do what _he _wanted to do.

And she was telling him otherwise.

"Alright," she said, giving in, letting him make this choice.

Cole's earthen brown eyes widened. "Really? You're fine with it?"

Audrey smiled up at him.

_Up_, his stupid height was so _distracting_.

"It'll be different without you," she admitted, "but it's your choice."

Then, those ridiculously strong arms of his wrapped around her own frail body, and practically squeezed the life out of her.

"Thank you _so _much," Cole added when he was done. "Do you think you'll be able to send the mail I'm given to each new address?"

She thought. "Umm... well, if you send me a letter each time you change addresses, I'll be able to send mail through that."

Cole grinned a grin larger than any she'd seen on him, and the first since he'd returned. And, as he was leaving, he whispered something to her that she'd never forget.

"Love you."

**. . .**

**Welp, that's the last of Audrey. I would love to know what you all thought of her! Thank you for reading!**


	10. Of Mountain Men and Tea

**Hey y'all! Sorry to say this, but I'll have to slow down a bit on writing this, because I had most of it written prematurely. Now I'm writing the rest of it, and I'll have to write and rewrite everything twice to make sure nothing's spelled wrong, etc. So, updates will slow down from twice a week, to once a week.**

**Also... I guess I should probably thank anyone that reviewed my story, since I haven't done that already. So then, Nuppa Nuppa, Isabella Camovic, IcetheStars, Bookkeeper2004, Grammarosprey, kaiawesomelymonsterous, ColdWaterChicken, and TheFunnyElement, thank you so, so so much for reviewing! Especially you, Grammarosprey, you have been a /pretty/ regular reviewer and a real motivation!**

**And those of you that reviewed my Day of the Departed story, leilaniforever and GwenBrightly, thank you so much as well!**

**TheFunnyElement— Woah, really? That wasn't what I was going for, but I guess it works. Really? Crying? I'm so glad! I try to use descriptive and deep-feely words, and get my readers to (hopefully) feel something. Thank you so much for reading!**

**. . .**

Cole slipped out of his dormitory at exactly midnight.

Most of the other boys that resided in the room with him were already asleep, which was good, because if anyone _saw _him crawling out the window at twelve in the morning, his plan would be ruined.

Of course, he wasn't the only kid breaking the rules. Eli was awake in the dorm as well (he was helping him climb out safely, because he couldn't climb out the window of a two-story building alone and _not _die), along with one of their other friends, a talented son of one of his dad's fellow quartet members, Matthias.

Their escape was flawless. Cole landed on the overhang extending over and above the school's entrance, which happened to be directly below the dorm's largest entrance. From there, he'd be able to jump off the overhang and land on the ground without breaking his legs.

He had asked Eli to hand a note to both Audrey and Dakota, with information like: where he might be staying, what he would be doing, and the (quite complicated) schedule they would use for sending his mail while he was hiking across the country.

Of course, Cole mentioned personal stuff as well. He told Eli personally how he had been such a good friend. He thanked Dakota for teaching him how to play guitar. And, of course, he told Audrey how much he would miss her, and that he loved her.

Then he had to wrap it up.

Cole did feel sorry for leaving them. He wished he didn't have to go, but he just couldn't stay at Marty's. Their gang would have to be a trio from now on.

**. . .**

At six in the morning, Cole was _finally _able to collapse on the bed of the inn he was staying at.

He frowned a little at the cobweb-stridden fan above him, and mold collecting on the ceiling. Not the best hotel in the area, but what else could an almost-sixteen-year-old do after running away with no job?

_This is all I have_, he thought glumly.

Cole jumped about fifteen feet in the air at a knock at his door. After getting up and opening it, he found none other than a breathless Dakota waiting for him.

A look of relief crossed her face. "Oh, thank the FSM I found you," she breathed.

He was almost speechless. "Dakota, I— how did— _why _are you here?"

Dakota grinned, amused. She replied casually, "I'm so jealous you get to run away. You're lucky none of the teachers care. I would've done the same thing, but now that you've gone and done it first, it won't be as fun anymore."

"I still don't get it. Why did you come after me?"

"Oh yeah," Dakota rummaged around in the little camo duffel bag he always saw her with, and pulled out two printed photos to hand to him.

Cole took one look at the photos, and felt his cheeks heat up instantly.

"Did you take these?" he asked.

She nodded, eyes on her shoes. "I didn't recognize you two at the time. But, these are the only copies, and you can have them. I even deleted the ones on my camera."

Cole looked back down at the photos. Dakota really was a good photographer. The bright full moon left the silhouette of him, Audrey, and the bridge looking perfect.

He turned back to her. "Thank you."

She grinned. "No problem."

After she left, Cole was ready to start his new life.

**. . .**

_Hands first, then your feet... get a good grip... pull your body up..._

Cole never felt so free in his entire life.

It had been so long, _so _long without being here, outside, at an elevation most people might never be in their entire lives. The air was chilly and fresh and purer than any air in any city or town. The mountain he held onto with his life was sturdy and strong, like him.

All of the other climbers were left in the dust with him on the mountain. They were slow and put their trust in equipment. Cole was fast and agile and relied only on his own strength.

Finally, he reached the top. It might have been the most satisfying thing he'd ever done.

But... he hadn't been the first to reach the top.

An old man sat crisscross-applesauce next to a small makeshift campfire, drinking something steamy from a blue china cup. From the smell, Cole could guess it was some sort of tea. He wore long white robes, a conical straw hat, and had a beard that probably reached his thighs. His face crinkled as he smiled at Cole with his soft blue eyes.

"Hello there," he greeted.

As he took another sip from his cup, Cole blinked, looked around, and turned back to the man to make sure he wasn't going nuts.

"How did you— who _are _you?"

The man smiled again, in a way that suggested he was amused, a way that said he understood what Cole was thinking. "Maybe that is a question for me to ask. But first: why do you climb the mountain?"

Cole blinked. _Why_? Because he loved it. He loved this, no other reason, at least he thought so, other than doing something that he enjoyed.

But, he had a feeling this man was looking for something different. Why did he climb the mountain? Maybe...

Cole looked down at his hands. "I... just lost someone." Why was he telling a stranger this? "My father should be sad— or _angry— _but he's just... he's..."

"Yes?"

Cole sighed. "He spends all his time with this group, singing and dancing. He's never home! Leaving all the chores for me."

The stranger listened intently, nodding as he spoke. Somehow... Cole trusted him.

"With her gone... I guess it's up to me to be the responsible one." He thought of the many meals he had to make on his own, or the money he had to scrounge up to buy a meal. The jobs he had to find to get money to buy not only food but clothing... and so much more. "He acts like nothing happened. How can he sing and dance at a time like this?"

The man sighed. He sounded wise. And, he sounded as if he understood. If he listened to Cole, maybe Cole should listen to him.

"Grief takes many shapes and forms," he began. "Some sing, and dance, and some..." he smiled up at Cole. "...Climb mountains."

Cole, taken back, asked, "Why did _you _climb the mountain."

"To find you, Cole."

Now he was even more confused. This stranger knew his _name_? And he didn't think to mention it to him sooner? Maybe he was a friend of his father. But then... oh no... was he here to take him back to school?

No. He couldn't go. He _couldn't._

The man seemed to sense that Cole was upset, and cut him off before he could panic any longer. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Wu. And, I've come to ask you something."

"F- fire away."

"Ever heard of a ninja?"

Cole blinked. Ninja... yes, he'd heard of them. Warriors with stealthy, hide-in-the-shadows-before-you-make-your-move tactics. "Yeah, but aren't those techniques ancient? There haven't been any ninja in ages."

His face crinkled into a smile again. "True. I am trying to gather a team of these ninja. You see, there is a darkness coming, and I cannot stop it alone. Will you help me?"

This man— Wu— expected _him _to do this? To stop some... _darkness _coming to Ninjago?

"Um... but sir," he began. "I'm no ninja."

"Yes. But, I could train you to become one. You think about it. I know it's not an easy decision. If you decide you want to learn, meet me at the top of the highest mountain in Ninjago. And, I prefer you climb it, instead of taking the stairs."

**. . .**

Cole found himself awake on his bed back in the motel, at two in the morning, thinking about what the stranger had said. He could forget about it and continue to flit from place to place, or...

Maybe this was his new adventure. Something else he could use to challenge himself. He wasn't so sure about this... darkness... but he could certainly try whatever martial art Wu wanted to teach. Yeah, he could definitely do it.

He was gonna do it.

**. . .**

**I promise the rest of the chapters will not all be recaps! I added some parts of the actual episodes to sort of clinch it all together. About 80% will still be from my own brain hole.**

**Thank you for reading. And, reviews are appreciated!**


	11. Sixth Time’s the Charm

**EARLY, WHAT?? Yup, Friday instead of Saturday. I'll be at a sleepover tonight with several other loud, crazy girls, getting no sleep. So, here you are!**

**Thanks a bunch to Grammarosprey, ColdWaterChicken, and leilaniforever for reviewing! And, as well to everyone who has favorited and followed, so sorry I lost track!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Oh, no problem! I love replying to all your reviews! (You are a very interesting and uplifting person, thank you :D) Okay then, here's a hint: wait for the chapter called "Under Icy Waters", and you'll see him again! Oh no please, I'm no one's master. Trust me XD.**

**. . .**

Cole had been staying at Wu's place for a week now.

So, this is how it went: Cole had chosen _"yes, I'm totally doing this"_, and by the time he reached the top of the highest mountain in Ninjago (easy peezy, a warm-up to him), Wu had been there, waiting for him.

Planted on top was a beautiful monastery, structure hexagonal in shape, with heavy wooded doors and clad in a black shingle roof. It must have been ages old, but it still looked brand new.

When Wu opened the doors, a tiled courtyard unfolded in front of them. Straight ahead was an original sliding door that stood as the main entrance into the building.

"Wow," Cole remarked. "This place is beautiful."

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wu smile; a faraway, dreamy look dancing in his eyes. "I think so too. I am glad there are still those that appreciate beautiful things, and things of the past."

Training started that very day. Turns out, this man was a lot more serious than Cole took him to be. Cole was to call him "Sensei" from now on. So far, all he'd learned were basic sword techniques, and how to get through the first five seconds of an obstacle course Wu— _Sensei— _said would help him.

Otherwise, he was having a pretty interesting time. Sensei Wu told him more about this "darkness", some corrupted older brother that planned on making Ninjago into his own image.

Cole wasn't sure why, but he was beginning to believe it.

But right now, he was focused on other things. Sensei said something about going out to fetch another pupil. So, he was going to train with other kids his age? Well, at least he wouldn't be alone...

**. . .**

"Jay, honey, be back by supper!"

"Ugh. I will, Mom!"

"And no crazy stunts, okay?"

"I won't, Mom."

**. . .**

Jay stood on the roof of a tall insurance building, seven stories high. He was wearing his wings from the science fair, but they were well upgraded. He bent them back and forth, huffing and stretching and warming up to motivate himself.

"I can do this," he said, to no one but himself. "Sixth time's the charm!"

And with that, he jumped off.

For a split moment all he did was dive straight down, towards the hard concrete sidewalks below. _Oh no, oh no, oh no..._

But, then he lifted the wings a touch, and with a _whoosh _that whistled in his ears, was flung into the sky just above the tallest buildings around him. One flip, two flip... ha, and his ma had told him no stunts.

With a grin wider than the one at the science fair, he shouted with all his might to the sun, "I can _flyyyyy_!"

And Jay could fly, equivalent to if not better than any bird or plane, for a few seconds. He lost control at the very last moment, and slammed into a billboard.

Ahem, correction: _crashed through _the billboard.

"That's it, I've had it!" Jay ripped off the silly pair of wings from his back, throwing them down on the roof of the building he'd landed on. "You piece of useless, broken, junk!" He slammed both fists into his stupid contraption, done with all of the _trouble _it had brought him.

_First the science fair, now this!_

"It's impossible."

"Is it?"

Wait a second. Wasn't he the only one on this roof?

Apparently not, because an older man sat in front of him, drinking tea like there was no tomorrow. And, weirdly enough, Jay couldn't remember sparing a thought or glance at him before.

"Or are we only confined..." continued the stranger, pulling out an origami swan, "...by the walls we build ourselves?"

The paper swan in his hand suddenly moved and fluttered away without warning, Jay marveling wide-eyed in shock as it flew about in the wind. He shifted his awestruck gaze back to the older man.

"Who _are _you?"

"A dreamer, like you," he replied, smiling fondly. "Attempting to build the impossible. Care to join?"

**. . .**

Jay had _no idea _what he was getting himself into.

Mr. Wu— the man he met— was something else, for sure. He had mentioned something about an evil brother and something-something-itzu and training and Jay didn't really get all of it (plus, it sounded kinda scary...), but he wanted to be a part of it. Like, _badly_.

So, after begging his parents multiple times over a two-day period, they finally let him drop out of school and start this. (It was still education, right?)

All he needed were better directions. All Wu had said was, "I'll be at the top of the highest mountain in Ninjago," and nothing else. But, after some research, five amiss roads and three dead ends, and a (very, _very _tall— his tiny fear of heights had been activated yet again) mountain with a long ascending staircase to the top, he found him.

"I'm happy to see you've come," Wu welcomed, holding open the large wooden gate to his monastery for Jay to enter. "We will go over some rules later, but I have one other student I would like you to meet first.

Jay peeked into the monastery, and scanned the courtyard in front of him. A boy around his age, maybe older, was leaning casually against the wall to his left. He smiled a little and waved, and Jay waved sheepishly back.

Wu caught his attention once more. "You will have to call me Sensei from now on. And this," he gestured to the boy, "is Cole."

Jay turned back to Cole. Sensing that Sensei Wu wanted them to interact, they both stepped forward, and shook hands.

"Hi," Jay greeted, trying his best to sound cheerful. That's how his Ma told him to act with new people. "I'm Jay."

Cole's hand was firm and warm, and Jay could feel the strength behind it. They definitely had their differences.

"I'm N—" he shook his head suddenly, then replied, "Cole, I mean. I'm Cole."

The boy in front of him (he definitely looked and acted older than him, but he had to be around fifteen) might have been the complete polar opposite of Jay. He had a sturdy build, naturally colored skin, cocoa brown eyes with a softer, warmer undertone, and ebony hair, while Jay stood there awkwardly in front of him, at least a foot shorter than him, with porcelain skin, a sea of freckles, bright blue eyes and ginger hair.

Jay was still wary of new people after high school, as well. Will they accept him with all of his flaws, or reject him?

This new guy seemed to tell somehow that Jay was nervous, and smiled friendily. "Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one training here. Someone to help make sure I'm not going crazy."

It took Jay a moment, but then he understood. "Oh, yeah. He does seem a _bit _different, doesn't he?"

Cole chuckled at this, which made Jay grin. No one ever really appreciated his sense of humor.

That's when Sensei interrupted.

"Cole, I apologize if your training has seemed pointless so far," he began, looking sorry. "But, now that we have more than one pupil, you both will begin the real work on the course tomorrow. And, there is something else I would like to teach you."

**. . .**

**SO sorry that was so short. I meant it to be longer, but I was rushing and had no more inspiration.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. New Recruits

**This chapter gave me more trouble than it should have. And, it was just supposed to be a fun chapter! Oh well.**

**Thank you to Grammarosprey and SugarIce for reviewing! (Grammarosprey, do you want me to reply to you like a guest? I feel really bad not being able to respond to all of your great reviews D:)**

**SugarIce— Thank you! Yes, I have worked very hard on this... I started writing this what, sometime in May? I'm beyond happy I get to show people other than my small group of friends my stories. Thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

"Up! Up! Evil never sleeps, and neither should you!"

_No, not this again_, Cole's thoughts muddled. The low, but sharp bangs of a gong rang in his ears, and he buried his head in his pillow in an attempt to drown out the repetitive sounds. He had, for the most part, gotten used to the racket every morning of the week, but Jay had fallen out of his bed in surprise.

"Ten minutes to get ready and meet in the courtyard," Sensei continued, not a hint of mercy in his voice. "Today is a special day."

After Wu left, Jay's eyes took their precious time to clear and settle on their surroundings, then he shook his head to clear that out too. He had fallen out of the top bunk, after all. He blinked tiredly and asked Cole in a husky, drowsy voice, "Will he do that every day?"

Cole nodded forlornly. "Yup."

Less than a minute later, they both struggled to get on the black robes Sensei Wu had given them, Jay especially so.

"Just tie that part around your waist like a bathrobe."

"There's too many folds! And this fabric's so thick. How do people fight in this? Let alone walk?"

"I have no idea."

They eventually, by some miracle, made it outside in ten minutes. Jay was still messing around with the trim of the robe and sleeves, so much that Cole had to kick him in the heel to get him to pay attention. Jay's head immediately snapped up to Sensei, who stood patiently by the front gate, facing them.

Sensei Wu activated the training course, which popped out of the floor of the courtyard, by pushing a small red button hidden hidden in the statue of a traditional Ninjagian dragon. There were four fighting "levels", each connected by a row of spinning, shoving, and rotating wooden poles.

Jay watched in wonder as each sort of carousel projected from the tiled floor, a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he was trying to guess how it worked.

Cole had grown accustomed to this training course over the week, though he could only made it through the first section. It was plain that it had been heavily used; the wood was scratched and splintered, the metal was adorned with long streaks as if they had been in contact with a sword, and some parts had even been dented or bent by someone strong.

He hoped he could add to those dents someday.

"The reason I chose you two specifically," their sensei began, "is because you both have the innermost power and potential to master one of the oldest and most difficult martial arts used in the past, the art of Spinjitzu."

Cole tilted his head slightly in curiosity. Spinjitzu? Sensei hadn't mentioned that to him before.

"Ahem," Jay spoke up quietly, anxiously, "are you sure _I'm _the one you were looking for? I've never done anything like this before." He paused. "I'm not really good at... well, being _good _at something."

Cole scoffed. "That's ridiculous. You have to be good at _something_."

"Well, yeah, I'm _okay _at some stuff," Jay countered uselessly. "But... I've never... I—"

"_Silence_," Sensei Wu cut in, banging his staff to make a point. He turned to the boy. "Jay, I chose you for a reason. I suggest you don't argue with my judgement."

That shut Jay up in an instant. He looked down at his shoes.

Sensei sighed. "Now, back to the lesson. Let me demonstrate Spinjitzu, so you both can get a clear understanding of what I expect of you."

Wu stepped back, Cole's and Jay's eyes glued to their teacher. His hands moved in captivating motions, before he turned his entire body, and twisted back to gain momentum. Then, the most unimaginable thing happened.

Their sensei disappeared in a glimmering, golden tornado. The cyclone, which must have been Wu, spun around the monastery at an inconceivable speed. Then the funnel paused in front of them, slowed down, and revealed a hardly breathless Wu.

His students stood shaky on their feet, gaping like a couple of idiots. Sensei Wu seemed pleased.

When they had both reestablished their composure, Sensei challenged them to take turns trying to complete the course before he finished his tea— something he had tried with Cole.

Cole was doing good. _Over the planks, dodge the sword... _He almost made it to the second section, but that last wooden cutout got the upper hand on him. Jay, on the other hand, was struggling. Badly.

It seemed he couldn't figure out the way to get past the first row of spinning poles. He tried to get through them, but no, that didn't work. He tried to sprint/jump over them like Cole, but that didn't work either. He had no balance, and seemed to only get worse every time he wiped out.

_I hope he turns out okay._

**. . .**

That evening, Sensei blessed them with a break.

Cole used this precious time they had been gifted to catch up on his drawings. After skimming through various sketches and half-baked doodles of vast landscapes, creatures he found interesting, and random household items (But not people. Never people.), he found an empty page.

_Shoot. I'm almost out of paper_, Cole glanced woefully at the last six pages of his sketchbook. _Guess I need to go get a new one_.

On the lounge across from the couch he sat on, was Jay, who looked very comfy in a blue flannel shirt, sweatpants, and a steamy hot chocolate in his lap. He studied the pages of a little notebook to the side of him with an attentive look on his face.

Jay seemed like a good guy. He reminded him a lot of Audrey, sometimes. With the ginger hair (Audrey's was more red than Jay's chestnut color, however), freckles, blue eyes (hers were teal-blue, his were a shocking electric blue, something he'd never seen on any human being) and short, thin frame (_No... no offense_). Jay also had this really cool nick in one eyebrow, which was either shaved there intentionally, or was scarred in an accident.

He had stayed pretty quiet so far, but from what Cole could hear, he had a real sense of humor. He seemed fidgety and nervous most of the time and always had to be doing something. Cole hadn't asked to many questions. If Jay wanted to have a conversation, he'd do it on his own time.

But...

Cole thought for a moment, before finally speaking up, "Do you really think you're not good at anything?"

Jay's head snapped upwards, broken from his concentration. "Huh? Oh. Well, again, I'm _okay _at stuff... but I've never done anything really _revolutionary—_"

Cole shook his head. "That doesn't mean anything." _Darn it darn it darn it I wasn't going to ask questions... _"What do you _like _to do? What kinds of things do you enjoy on a daily basis?"

"Well..." the boy blew a puff of air from his cheeks. "I do a little inventing. A dabble in model building. Touch of cooking. A little poetry."

"That's it!" Cole announced, as if he found the answer to the universe. "Show me."

Jay blushed a vivid pink, and stuttered in reply, "N-no... no, I don't think you'd like any of it."

Cole thought for a moment. "No one's bad at everything. I'm absolutely, one hundred percent sure you're a smart guy with great talent." He paused. Jay looked very uncomfortable, but he was listening. "C'mon."

"No! You show me one of your drawings, then."

_Darn it. _Cole stopped, and scowled at the carpet. "Touché."

They sat in silence, until Jay changed the subject.

"Do you, uh, think you can draw a dragon? I think dragons are cool."

Cole sighed, "I never really cared for dragons."

**. . .**

The next morning was a new day.

Cole wasn't sure what, but something had gotten into that shy boy he trained with. Jay seemed more confident and determined, and looked at the training course from a new angle. He paid closer attention to their lessons, and worked harder in training.

He even made it to the second section of the course, only a hair behind Cole, and was wiped out a lot less. He watched his quick, agile movements and strategies with interest, opened up to a whole new Jay.

But he wondered one thing: what _had _gotten into him?

Usually Cole didn't like to pry. But again, he had to know. He spotted his chance at noon, when they both had lunch on the roof of the monastery.

After they had both settled down on the edge of the shingled, black roof, handling china dishes filled with sweet and sour pork and white rice with care, he spoke up.

"So... what happened today?" Cole asked, attempting to sound casual, before biting into the tender meat.

Jay seemed to have been expecting this, as he stirred around his dish with the chopsticks, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I don't know. Something you said the night before, about me being smart and everything? Boosted my confidence. I woke up feeling like I could take on the world." He grinned up at Cole, blue eyes sparkling in the midday sun. "I guess it worked out. I almost beat you."

Cole chuckled at the smugness of his voice. He had turned out okay. "So you think."

Maybe they could be a pretty good team, after all.

**. . .**

**First a short chapter, then a long one. When will it end?**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	13. Under Icy Waters

**Phew, it's getting harder and harder to do these in a week. But anyways, here's Zane's next appearance!**

**Big thanks to Nuppa Nuppa and Grammarosprey, once again. And everyone who's favorited and followed.**

**Grammarosprey— Oh, good. :) You've been so sweet and I can't thank you enough. I know, I always thought of Jay and Cole as best friends, though they do disagree once in a while. Thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

Zane was calm.

Every morning of every week so far, he had gone back to the lake. He had learned that it was, in fact, a great spot for meditation. The chilly water numbed his mind and cleared his thoughts, and after a few minutes under, he would climb out and finish his session on land.

But today, however, was not for meditation. His goal was to break his record of nine minutes under the water. A crowd of people waited impatiently on the beach, breaths held in anticipation. Jude should have been the one standing closest to the lake with a stopwatch. And, while Agnes had a vicious fit of nerves every time he tried to break his record, she would still be a loyal supporter to the end.

This was why they were his friends.

Zane had been going strong so far, though he had to admit, he wasn't trying too hard. He still didn't understand what was so hard for everybody else, and yet so simple for him. Why was he different?

He opened an eye a slit when the hard and slippery scales of a bluegill brushed his knee.

_Harmless. Related to the piranha, but won't bite. Stay calm_, Zane reminded himself, the soft words that Jude told him echoing in his mind.

Zane watched wistfully as the colorful sunfish relative swam slowly away. He turned his head back and was ready to close his eyes again, when a flash of white to his left caught his attention.

He turned fully— and saw an elderly man with a flowing white beard and a conical straw hat secured under his chin with a string. He was sipping tea (_Under the water? Impossible!_) as he sat cross-legged under the water next to him.

Zane was so taken aback by his surprise visitor that he gasped— inhaling about a pint of freshwater in the process— and promptly choked. He made a mad dash to the surface, where Jude was supposed to be, and flopped onto the beach, coughing up water.

Amidst what felt like _dying_, he heard a few people sigh, and amidst the blurry vision, he watched them walk away. He felt like a failure.

Agnes held a helpful hand to his back as he tried to get breathing again, and asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Zane nodded slightly. "I am fine. Thank you," he looked around the edges of the lake, and spotted the man he saw under the water drying off on one of the beaches. "I just... was startled."

Agnes pursed her lips, looking in the direction Zane was staring at. "Yeah, we saw him come out of the lake after you. Do you know him?"

"No," he replied honestly. "I'm... gonna go talk to him."

Agnes nodded in agreement, and let him go.

Zane was mad, just a little bit, when he didn't want to be. His thoughts swirled in turmoil. _He interrupted what could have been a new record! But... he probably didn't mean it. Then why did he do it? Those people looked so disappointed._

"Yes?"

Oh, dear. Zane was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't realize he was already standing in front of the man.

"Yes, urm... I have a question. Why were you in the lake with me?"

The older man smiled as he wrung water out of his extensive beard with a towel. "I actually wanted to talk with you."

Zane raised an eyebrow. Why not wait until _after _he had made ten minutes? The man made no apology, but that was his decision. _Keep going_.

"About what?" he asked.

"If you wanted to join a team," he began, taking a blue teapot and cup from the stump he set them on, and poured himself what looked like a cup of white tea, "of ninjas, training to prevent a terrible outcome of Ninjago."

Zane cocked his head. "Pardon? What outcome?"

"I fear someone will try to corrupt Ninjago, try to bend it into his own image. My bones are old, and I cannot stop this on my own. Will you help?"

Zane blinked. Sure, he didn't really have a goal or point in his life just yet, except for being with Jude and Agnes. He couldn't leave them.

...could he?

**. . .**

Agnes and Jude exchanged worried glances.

Jude spoke their minds. "I dunno, Zane. It sounds like baloney to me."

Zane's shoulders slumped. Agnes nodded hesitantly.

"I... it's just, he sounded so sincere," Zane argued. "He seemed really serious about wanting to stop Ninjago from crumbling, and that's an honorable trait." He paused, biting his lip, an odd habit. "I have a feeling."

Jude rushed to continue. "_And_, we respect your logic, but sometimes you can be a bit... gullible."

Zane said nothing.

Agnes sighed, turning to Jude. They held a short conversation with just their eyes, when Jude sighed as well.

"It's your choice, Zane. We're not your guardians. If you believe this man is telling the truth... go right ahead."

Zane's eyes lit up, and he grinned. It'd be hard to leave Jude and Agnes, the ones who saved him from the blizzard and took him in, but he'd see them again. He was sure.

After saying sayonara, and holding back an ocean of tears, he left.

**. . .**

"Ohoho, risky choice there, _Bluebell_."

"Wanna try me? You'll be seeing stars soon, Dirtclod!"

"You're getting a _bit _cocky. After all..."

Cole threw a sharp calf kick that knocked Jay down in seconds, leaving him breathless, and put his boot firmly in his chest to keep him down.

Jay rolled his eyes, a tiny, defeated smile on his face. "KO'd, once again. One day I'm gonna get you."

"No way," Cole smirked, removing the boot from Jay's stomach, and jerked a thumb towards himself. "_I'm _undefeatable."

The monastery doors opened suddenly, and Jay and Cole shifted hurriedly into a fighting stance. But, to their relief, it was only Sensei Wu. They relaxed.

Wu looked them over and smiled. "Glad to see you two training instead of slacking off. Now, listen. I have something to tell you."

Jay and Cole straightened their postures, awaiting instructions.

"A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated," he began, pacing in a tight circle, "but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

Jay had to think about this. Most of Sensei Wu's cryptic metaphors had to be. _Let's see... "a person standing alone"... that had to be Cole. "Two can stand back-to-back and conquer"... that had to be when I came along, and Cole and I worked together. But the third?_

Cole had figured it out as well. "Sensei, are we getting a third teammate?"

Wu smiled. "Good. Yes, we are inviting in another member of the team, and I expect you both to treat him as ay other," something in his eyes when he said this made Jay uneasy, as if their new teammate _wouldn't _be like any other. Was he different? Mentally incapacitated? What was wrong?

But, when Wu opened the gate a bit wider and introduced the rookie as "Zane", he looked as normal as anybody.

Actually... a bit _too _normal. Jay didn't like it.

His hand was cold when he shook it, and not warm like Cole's always was. His icy blue eyes were interesting, to say the least, but made Jay uncomfortable. He swore Sensei gave him a look when he was finished, too.

But, he smiled and tried his best to hide it.

**. . .**

That night, Cole and Jay stayed up to talk while Zane dozed off in the other bunk. Cole inhabited the bottom, while Jay chose the top, his favorite.

"I dunno, man, he seems really odd," Jay admitted, keeping his voice low.

Cole sighed. Jay could hear the disapproval in his voice. "Jay, he's probably just nervous. There's no need to judge."

Jay huffed. "I just— I don't like him. And, I _don't _mean to be rude, but he _is _odd. He's really, _really _different from us. It's gonna be hard to be friends with him."

Cole thought of Zane's behavior so far. He was quiet, a little more than Jay was when they first met, but when he did talk, it never made any sense. He was very polite, which was a good thing, but...

He frowned anyway. He'd never seen this side of Jay before. "Don't be like that. We'll all be good friends soon enough, if we'll be saving the world together. He just needs to open up a bit, that's all."

Jay grunted in disagreement, pulled the cerulean blanket over his head, and said nothing after that.

**. . .**

**Fun Fact: That thing that Wu said, about the triple-braided cord? Check Ecclesiastes 4:12. It's from the Bible! :D Smart, eh?**

**Thank you for reading!**


	14. Missions for the Master

**Ahh!! So sorry I'm late!!! D:**

**Thank you Grammarosprey, ColdWaterChicken, and SugarIce for reviewing! And to those who had me in their favorite authors list, you made my day!**

**Grammarosprey— Yes, thank you! The thing I stress the most in writing is definitely accuracy. Hey yeah, that's great! I'm constantly surprised at how many believers are on this website, it's so encouraging! :D Oof, I have been beat. Working at Chick-fil-A has got to be a dream job! Thanks for reviewing!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Yay! I'm glad you get so excited when I write about Zane. :) Hey, that's okay! No one has to like just one thing, there are WAY too many fandoms for any one person to resist. XD Thank you, Zane may seem a little odd on the outside, but we all know he's a complete softie on the inside. Thanks for reviewing!**

**SugarIce— Thank you, I see them as really close friends as well. :) Thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

"Insect repellent?"

"Check."

"Sleeping bags and pillows?"

"Mm... yup."

"First aid? Antiseptic wipes? Sanitizer?"

"Uh. Jay, you got that?"

Jay searched once, twice, three times in the camping bag he had sitting next to him on the top bunk, then shook his head. Their new roommate, Zane, sighed and put down the list he had been reading.

"I will go see if I can find some," he decided, and turned to leave the room.

Cole stepped forward and said, "You know, we probably won't need sanitizer... or antiseptic wipes..."

Zane shook his head. "Nonsense. One can never be too careful."

And then he left the room. Cole sighed, an _I give up, I'm done _sort of look on his face, though he was smiling. "He takes some things way too seriously."

After Zane had been in constant, merciless training for the past few weeks, Master Wu told them exciting news. They were going on their first mission!

Jay clucked his tongue. "Some people are like that. If it's not your problem, then leave 'em alone."

"Come on, help me here," Cole begged, the faint sounds of Zane rummaging through the bathroom cupboards down the hall carrying to the bedroom. "You're the best guy for this. You can get him to loosen up."

"Nope. His problem."

"...You don't like Zane, do you?"

The look Jay gave him was one of bewilderment, but he knew it was true. Cole understood that Jay thought Zane was strange, and felt uncomfortable and out-of-place around him. He just hoped that didn't manifest itself into something else.

Jay searched for the correct response. "I d-don't _dislike _him, per se—"

"I'm sorry. You don't have do answer that."

Zane came in the room with a half-empty box of wipes in his hand and a brand new first-aid kit tucked under his arm. "This is all I could find," he explained, "but it will have to do."

Cole grinned, taking both boxes from Zane's hands and packing them with everything else where they would fit. "This is great, thank you."

Jay snorted quietly in amusement.

**. . .**

A few hours later, the three were making their way through the depths of the Wildwood Forest. Ash-colored lichen grew up the massive trunks and graceful branches of the oak and beech trees surrounding them. Dense shrubs and vast patches of moss covered the moist forest floor, all screaming _green, green, green_.

Zane thought it was all so beautiful, and he made sure to take in as much virid sunlight that filtered through the leaves as possible. He had, for most of his life, inhabited the northernmost part of Ninjago, which stayed a perpetual white about 98% of the time.

He couldn't have been any happier with his decision to come here.

His thoughts were interrupted by something that Jay said, that must have upset Cole somehow, by the way he shoved him all the way to the other side of the path. But, there was also a hint of amusement in his expression that made his eyes twinkle in a way that said otherwise.

Zane didn't understand what he was seeing. But why? Cole seemed to get it, and so did Jay. What was he missing?

He shook his head and focused on their hike.

"What are we even supposed to be doing?" Jay asked, after he had been shaking with laughter.

"We were supposed to be _listening_ to Sensei, Motormouth," Cole replied, adjusting the straps of his backpack.

"I know, I know, just say it again!"

Cole sighed. Zane listened in as well. "Forest fires in this area have destroyed some of the villages around here. Six, I think. Our job is to care for the people who are injured or have lost homes, aid in restoring the buildings and find the source of the fires."

Zane spoke up quietly, "I propose we make some form of plan. Something similar to each of us focusing on a different part of the mission, to ensure our success and that we finish in a reasonable time?"

"Great idea!" Cole grinned. He stopped for a moment. "I think I've got it. Jay, use your creative mind and engineering skills to help reconstruct the most damaged buildings. I'll work on helping injured villagers, and if you ever need any heavy lifting, I can help with that too. Zane, you're smart. How about you investigate on how the fires started?"

Zane and Jay nodded unitedly.

**. . .**

"You there, try and clear the rubble. You make sure there's nobody left. And, can you try and find salvageable pieces of the wreckage?"

Jay felt out of place.

He had been taking charge and giving orders since last morning, when they arrived at the first village. He didn't get why Cole told him to lead in all of the construction. Sure, he knew engineering, and how to lay out a foundation, and where to put load-bearing poles and beams and walls and all of that, and with people that actually knew what they were doing he _supposed _he could _maybe _do this without messing anything up, but...

He was _not _a leader.

Jay looked down at the notes he had been keeping, stress tied up like a knot inside his stomach and building on top of his shoulders.

_Only on the second village... and we have four more to go! At this rate, we won't be finished by the end of the week! Let's see... the town hall has to be rebuilt completely, as well as three small cottages and a church. _

He sighed, and shoved the notebook in between the folds of his robe. About twelve— no, thirteen— men were working on reconstruction, maybe he had a few minutes to rest...

"Jay, would you mind coming over here for a moment?"

Jay almost groaned aloud. _It's him_.

Now, of course, he'd _never _say this in front of Cole or Zane or _heaven forbid _Sensei Wu, but... he _didn't _care for Zane. He just— he didn't get it. How could you live with someone who didn't understand _anything_? No sense of humor, none of the little things any _normal _human being would understand... just straight facts and information.

But Jay turned, smiling ever so politely, and replied, "Sure, be there in a sec."

He made it over to the oddball, who was sitting on a short, wide stump (blue spruce, by the look of it), fingering something small that Jay couldn't quite make out, repeatedly smelling it.

But when he got closer, he recognized it as the burned remains of a cheap cigarette.

_Of course_.

Zane handed it to Jay, who stared at it in ineluctable betrayal. "This is an item used for smoking tobacco, is it not?"

"Yup."

"And any form of smoking is illegal in this part of the forest, am I right?"

"Probably."

Zane nodded. "I found several near the burned buildings. If I continue to see them in the next four villages, I believe I have finished investigation."

Jay nodded as well, sitting himself down on the ground next to the stump.

There was silence for a while, aside from the constant banging and pounding coming from the construction sites. Zane sighed, a mix of contentment and exhaustion.

"I must thank you for being so kind and welcoming to me so far, even for an outsider," he said. "I must admit I had few friends other than my caretakers, who are just like you both. Everyone else took me as different, and judged me for it."

_Crud crud crud crud_, Jay chewed his lip, feeling ashamed.

_No, I wasn't kind_, he wanted to argue. _I don't deserve gratitude_.

But he couldn't tell Zane that. It would break the oddball's heart, and he couldn't deal with that. Just agree...

"I— I wouldn't say that."

Zane eyed him questionably. "Why not?"

Jay's teeth dug into his bottom lip, even harder than the first time, nearly drawing blood. A habit he had to stop eventually.

"I'm sorry. I've been looking at you as strange, too," . "I didn't even try to give you a chance. You should thank Cole, not me. He was the one who really believed in you."

There was a long moment of quiet, and he worried that he had hurt Zane so much he had drawn him speechless.

But, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see the very-not-totally-offended face of Zane. He almost looked... understanding.

"You don't have to feel bad," he reassured. "Lots of people think of their friends like that. And, if you have to, look at the situation this way: if you truly do not like me, would you have apologized?"

Jay's mouth fell open. _Oh... wait. He's right._

"Thanks." He grinned hopefully. "Friends?"

"I hope so."

**. . .**

**Again, I apologize for being late. Life has slapped me in the face.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	15. The Fire Burns Bright In You

**Yes! On time! Hope you guys like this chapter, it's all recap but I love writing about Kai. :)**

**Thank you Grammarosprey, Nuppa Nuppa and ColdWaterChicken for reviewing! And also to the few people who favorited and followed! **

**Grammarosprey— Why yes, yes they do. *wipes away a tear* Yeah, hope it's no problem. Writing about an arsonist would have taken a bit longer and some more thought than some careless campers, and I had been running low on time already. Thanks for reviewing! :D (P.S. My family went to Chick-fil-A yesterday and I was very skeptical of everyone who worked there, lol)**

**ColdWaterChicken— Aw, I hope these chapters are making you feel better after all that. That is kinda ironic, and I hope it's not a problem, but I will most definitely be praying for your sister. :) I have a friend who absolutely loves chickens, and would be devastated to hear something like that. Anyways, thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

Kai felt at home.

With the constant _bang, bang _of his hammer against the anvil and the hot air wafting in from the forge, heating his skin and warming his insides, he couldn't have felt any more content.

Sure, life wasn't _too _great with a now-fifteen-year-old boy taking care of his now-thirteen-year-old little sister on his own, but he was happy. More importantly, Nya was happy. Life couldn't have gotten any better.

"To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal, and plenty of heat," Kai quoted quietly under his breath, hammering all the while, before bringing the freshly-forged katana to the water basin. "Cool it off, and... _Presto_!"

But, the metal he pulled out was gnarled and deformed. "Aww," he groaned disappointedly. _This is why Nya says I'm such a bad blacksmith_. He turned back to the forge to start again.

Nya giggled behind him. "You made it too quickly, Kai." Then she looked serious. "Be patient. If father were still here, he'd say—"

"I know," Kai interrupted. "No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight."

Something boiled inside of him, so he clenched his fist and said with a determined fashion, "That may work with you, Nya, but I'll be a better blacksmith than Dad ever was!"

Kai turned and saw just that. An older man, with a long, hoary beard and wearing some kind of robe, shuffled in the shop with the help of a bamboo staff he used as a cane. His sharp blue eyes examined them and the small room from top to bottom, before he continued.

"All tools for a samurai, but nothing for a ninja?" The stranger tapped a set of armor with his staff, then turned his age-old eyes back to the set of teenagers.

Kai put the tools he was holding down and laughed. "Ninja? Ha! You're a long way from finding a ninja in these parts, old man. And, this shop is called 'Four Weapons', not 'For Browsing'. Either buy something or peddle your insults somewhere else."

He looked the stranger in the eye, and he scoffed.

"Huh. Too bad. Thought I'd find something special here."

He turned away, and Kai looked to Nya for support. She ushered back to him as if to say, _'Go on, try to get him to buy something'_. So, Kai moved over, and grabbed a steel helmet he was particularly fond of.

"If it's something special you're looking for," he began, lifting up the heavy piece of armor with a grunt, "let me sho—"

The man was nowhere to be seen. Kai scanned the forge in appall, but found no one but himself and Nya.

"What is it?" she asked.

"He was just—" He shook his head, and put the helmet down. "Forget it."

**. . .**

Kai clutched his chest, breathing coming in uneven gasps.

_What just happened_.

One minute, he was fighting those skeleton warriors (_er, well, I think that's what they're called; I kinda remember them saying Skulkin somewhere, maybe that's it?_) without a problem. But the next, Nya had joined him, he was on the ground, and she was gone.

"_Nya_!"

Kai got up as fast as humanly possible and rushed after the vehicle that held his abducted baby sister, still grasping his quite decrepit sword, but he soon realized it was hopeless. She was gone.

_Just like my parents before her_, he thought bitterly.

"I told you," the voice behind him reminded. "Useless."

Oh, that's right. This stranger had helped them. As soon as the "Skulkins" showed up on their doorstep, this man had assisted them in the fight as if he didn't rely on a cane for support. He had moved Kai out of the path of their collapsing water tower when he was helpless, and saved his life, really.

He had saved Kai. But not his sister.

Kai spun around in white-hot anger, fists tightened and ready to let loose and _hit someone_. Particularly _this _man— how _dare _he call him useless, when he was the one—

He growled in ire, and in order to keep himself from lashing out, began to pace. "You could have _done _something! You could have used your twist-itzu, or your— your—"

"_Spin_jitzu," the man corrected.

"But you did nothing," Kai replied, amber eyes bright and furious. "I'm gonna to get my sister back."

He turned back around and proceeded to follow the Skulkin truck's tracks, when he was stopped yet again by the stranger. "Where they go, a mortal cannot."

_Mortal_?

"That was Samukai, king of the Underworld," he explained. Kai's mind flashed back to the four-armed skeleton wielding four sharpened bone daggers and eyes the color of blood. "And, if it's true that he's carrying out orders for Lord Garmadon, then I fear things are far worse than I had ever thought."

Kai looked him in the eyes again, no calmer than before. "Lord Garmadon? Underworld? What's going on?! What do we have that's so important to them, and why would they take my sister?!"

"What's so important?" he repeated, aghast. "How about everything in Ninjago itself?"

The stranger began to tell Kai a story. He, reluctantly, sat down and listened. He told him of the creation of Ninjago— which was a story every inhabited knew by heart— from the four weapons of Spinjitzu: the Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire. Of the creator's two sons who fought for the weapons, after one wanted to use them for evil, and how he was struck down into the Underworld. The younger brother hid the weapons and sealed the spots with a guardian, and gave the map to someone else for him to hide.

Soon though, the story came to an end. "That honest man was your father," he explained.

Kai's eyes widened. _Dad_?

"The older brother is Lord Garmadon. And I need to find those weapons before he does."

"You're the younger brother? Then, you came here looking for the map."

He smiled. "No. I came for something greater..." he pointed his bamboo staff at Kai, who furrowed his brow in confusion, "...you. Since my brother cannot enter this realm, it's obvious he has struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, even I would not be able to stop him again." His soft periwinkle eyes lit up suddenly.

"But you! You have the fire inside. I will train you to harness it. Use it. Become a Spinjitzu Master!" he tapped Kai's chest encouragingly.

But, Kai shook his head. "Look, I'm flattered you think I'm all that." He pointed to the road. "But I gotta save my sister. I'm not getting involved in your 'sibling rivalry'."

And no sooner had Kai stood up to leave then he had pinned back down to the ground by the stranger. He laughed.

"Clunky Bull! You are not even ready to face my pinky toe! If you want to get your sister back, you must learn to control the fire that burns inside. Only when you become a Spinjitzu Master will you be ready to face..." he wiggled his eyebrows, "Lord Garmadon."

Kai sagged his shoulders and sighed as he gave up. "Okay. Then when do we start?

**. . .**

**The next few chapters are gonna skip some stuff from the pilots, because recaps are quite boring, in my opinion. I know most of the people reading this know what happens, so yeah. Thanks for reading!**


	16. Who’s This?

**Hey! I'm not dead! :D In case you didn't know, I took a break from this story to work on a Christmas-themed story. But now I'm back, and will hopefully finish this by the end of the month! To make up for my absence, here's an extra long chapter! **

**Grammarosprey— Ah, sadly, I'm not skipping the _whole _thing, just the unnecessary clips (mostly fight scenes). But yes, I am putting a little more detail in their friendship with the dragons! Sorry to disappoint. :( And um... I guess it's just the metal's reaction? I dunno, it's a cartoon. XD Thanks for reviewing!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Oof, I've been there. My cousin's crazy lab escaped a couple years ago, and I tried to chase it down. Didn't really work. But, her stepdad came and got him, so it's alright now. I'm glad I'm making you feel better. :) Thank you so much for reviewing, and you can talk to me anytime!**

**. . .**

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt... his name is _my _name _tooo_..."

"Jay."

"Whenever we go out, the people always shout..."

"Jay, come on."

"There goes _John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt_, _fa la la la la la la—_"

"_Jay_!"

Jay whipped around and glowered at the two teens that were many stair steps behind him. They had, _finally_, reached the end of the week, and were headed back to the monastery to continue their lessons with Sensei Wu.

_If only the monastery wasn't built on the highest mountain in the land, and we didn't have to climb about a million steps to get to the top while carrying everything we packed for the trip on our _backs_..._

Cole rolled his eyes when Jay stuck his tongue out like a two-year-old would, and continued to climb.

"We have almost reached the top," Zane observed, looking up at the few hundred steps that were left. Cole nodded, skipping the next few steps so he could get to Jay's level— when the little rat tripped him.

He caught himself just before his nose collided with the hard stone steps, choosing to ignore Jay's chuckling. It was Zane's turn then to roll his eyes, and clapped Jay on the back of the head as a suitable punishment.

"Look, I know we're all tired, but can you _please _behave yourself, Jay, you're acting like a child—" Cole stopped.

Jay stepped up next to Cole and looked where he was staring. "What's wrong?"

"Look."

The two followed the line of Cole's pointed finger to the monastery in front of them. The doors were left wide open (usually that would be a student's doing, Wu put the task of closing the gate before dusk on one of them), and two lights were left on inside the building that they could see through the windows: Sensei's bedroom... and theirs.

"A shadow," Cole added, turning to their bedroom window. A figure was up and about, and it certainly wasn't their sensei.

Jay tensed up, and so did Zane. Cole's hand reached for his hood.

"Let's get moving."

**. . .**

The trio searched the monastery from the rafters of the building, stepping from beam to beam on cat's feet. _Quiet as a mouse, silent as a breeze_, as Sensei taught them. Their dark robes left them practically invisible in the dim light that filtered in from below.

Luckily, Sensei Wu was unharmed. Cole found him dozing peacefully in his bedroom. But in the next room, a stranger clad in red flannels was (brushing his teeth?) in _their _bedroom.

Zane squinted his eyes to see better. The most prominent feature of the trespasser was his hair— brunet, auburn— which was gelled in random spikes going in all directions. From the look of it, he was preparing for bed, but all that Zane's cluttered mind could think was _intruder, intruder_.

"Oh yeah? Well, take this!" the stranger muttered out of the blue, waving his toothbrush at the mirror as if it were a sword. Jay took this as an opportunity to drop noiselessly into the room, landing where the stranger couldn't see and staying inconspicuous.

The stranger started to throw hits more strategically, sparring with the breath of air behind him. He got uncomfortable close to where Jay was hiding, but fortunately he backed away at the last second. "And this!"

Zane followed Jay's example and landed behind the intruder.

"And this!" The stranger spun around, pointing his toothbrush-weapon right where Cole had landed in front of him. Now, he was cornered. He looked around at the three in befuddlement, before quickly realizing his predicament.

"Oops."

The three brandished their weapons— Jay had a pair of nunchucks, Zane wielded a pair of steel shurikens, and Cole held a scythe— and the stranger flinched, shifting into a stance similar to the one they had been taught. His eyes were bright and furious as he shoved the toothbrush in Zane's mouth through his mask, which he spat out quite violently at Jay, then it bounced off him... right down Cole's shirt. This distracted them while the stranger had the chance to escape through the rafters.

Zane managed to catch up with him and aimed a kick to the face, but he dodged, causing Zane to lose his balance and tumble into the kitchen. The stranger laughed, but was stopped by a tackle from Jay. That knocked him straight through the roof and out into the courtyard. When he recovered, the other three had already spilled into the courtyard with him.

Then he activated the training course, which knocked down all three of the unsuspecting students. When they got back on their feet and were ready for a real fight, the stranger egged them on with a cocky smirk.

_Three to one. Should be easy_, Jay thought with a smile.

The fight continued. Punches were thrown, kicks landed in places that hurt, but their fighting styles were so similar that, in a one-on-one, they would most likely end in a stalemate. For now, they had to rely on their numbers. The intruder had Cole locked underneath him, so Zane tackled him and Jay tackled Zane, leaving the four in an awkward dog pile, when...

"Stop!"

At the commanding voice of their sensei, the three jumped up on their feet instantly. The fourth reluctantly pulled himself off of Cole, and joined their line. Jay stared at him in confusion. _This... isn't usual trespasser behavior._

"Yes, Sensei," he, Zane, and Cole replied, bowing as if on cue. The intruder glanced at them curiously, then stepped forward.

"Wait a minute!" he began, gesturing to the three. "They're your students too?"

Sensei Wu nodded, and Jay gaped. This guy was one of them? _So that explains it..._

"This was my final test, wasn't it—"

"Woah, woahwoahwoahwoah," Jay interrupted, stepping up from where he stood on the new student's right. "You never said anything about a _fourth_. It's always three! Three blind mice, three musketeers, three—"

Cole stepped forward. He was on the stranger's left. "Uh, what he's trying to say, Sensei Wu, is that the three of us have trained together. We're solid." He made a gesture with his hands to indicate this.

The stranger in flannels laughed. "Didn't look so solid to me."

Last, Zane stepped forward. "Master, what is the meaning of this?"

Wu came closer. "Each of you have been chosen. Each in tune with elemental properties."

_Elemental properties?_

"But first!" Wu prepared for another use of Spinjitzu, using the same stance he always used when he would demonstrate it. He swept by each one of them, and when he was done, they were each wearing new robes, all in different colors (somehow they reminded Jay of Skittles).

Zane was in white. Jay was in blue. Flannels was in red (he was now also holding a katana), and Cole's robes were still the color of midnight. Thin cord was hung from their right shoulders to the opposite hip, and another cord from their left shoulders connected to it in the middle. Where the cords connected, there was a tiny gold symbol of a dragon.

"Woah!"

"How'd he do that?"

"Look what color I am!"

"Wait a minute, I'm still black?"

Then, Sensei stepped up to the stranger. "Kai, Master of Fire," he said. Something in his eyes twinkled. "It burns bright in you."

In the rest of their minds buzzed the name, _Kai_.

He moved over to Jay. "Jay is blue, Master of Lightning."

"Heh, that's not all I'm the master of," he replied. Cole and Zane shook their heads. "I do a little inventing, I dabble in model building, touch a' cooking, little poetry..."

Cole moaned. "More like 'mouth of lightning'."

"Black ninja is Cole," Sensei continued, ignoring their quarrel. "Solid as rock. Master of Earth."

Cole swung his scythe, and spun around. At Kai's chuckle, he aimed his scythe at the red-clad ninja's neck.

"Nice to meet'cha, kid," he replied. "I got your back. And for the record..." he flipped off his mask, revealing messy ebony bangs that kept trying to get in his face, and hard eyes that reminded Kai of coffee and spice. "There ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of."

Jay snorted. "Except for dragons," Zane pointed out innocently.

"Dragons... aren't from this world, Zane, I said '_in _this world'," Cole argued, flustered.

"...And white ninja is Zane," Wu kept going. Zane bowed in respect, spinning his shurikens, before making them disappear. A trick he loved to show off. "Master of Ice. And seer with six sense."

"I _sense _this one takes things a little too seriously," Kai added under his breath.

Apparently Zane had heard him, because he replied, "You too have the gift?" pulling off his mask as well. His blonde hair was white and significantly neater than Cole's, and his eyes were a curious arctic blue.

Jay chuckled nervously. "Hey, he's just makin' a joke, Zane." Under his bright blue mask revealed patted-down ginger hair that looked as if it wanted to curl, and a nose covered in freckles. He lowered his voice, "Remember what we talked about? Your sense of humor, huh?"

Zane blinked, then nodded. "Yes. It was a joke. Ha-ha."

"Pay attention!"

Kai took off his mask last, showing off that same dark shade of auburn, and the same tempestuous amber-brown eyes. He had a scar over his eye, like Jay, except it was older, longer, and completely covered the eye instead of just cutting his eyebrow.

Jay snapped back to his position. "You four are the chosen ones, who will protect the four weapons of Spinjitzu from Lord Garmadon."

Kai stepped forward, and snarled, "But _what about _my sister?"

Jay gasped in surprise, then grinned. "We're saving a girl? Is she hot?" He nudged the teen in red, and Kai gave him a look of pure disgust.

"_Jay_," Cole chided.

"Eh, I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into!" he turned back to Kai, however, and asked, "Does she like blue?"

"_Back off_."

"When we find the weapons, we will find your sister," Sensei Wu answered. "It is time. We will go to the first weapon."

Cole cut in. "Woah, hold on a minute. You said you were going to teach us Spinjitzu."

Wu gave another one of his cheeky grins. "Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you. But, it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found." He was quiet for a moment, then, "Come! My feet are tired. We will take the horse carriage."

"Great. Now we have to find a key?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling like he's taking us for a ride."

Kai frowned, pushed past them, and headed inside. "Well, if it means finding my sister, then sign me up."

**. . .**

"_What _a surprise," Jay muttered wryly. "Thank you _so _much for the welcome home gift, Sensei Wu, we _really _appreciate it!" He folded his new robes and put them on the end of his bed.

Cole sighed. "Come on, he's not that bad. Sensei probably just needed another week to train him. There's got to be a good reason why he didn't have Kai train with us."

"What, because he's hostile? Irritating?" Jay rolled his eyes. "The guy's a nightmare."

Zane pulled back the covers of his bed— which was on the bottom of the opposite bunk— gently, climbed in with just his bare feet and white long-sleeved button-up pajamas, and said quietly, "He does seem a bit like the reckless type."

Cole shook his head. "You two are terrible with guests."

Speaking of Kai, the hothead stormed in, practically leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. He grabbed his stuff from the bunk above Zane's, including a nearly ragged pillow and two thin blankets with colors faded from use, and began to climb down the ladder with all in his arms, but not without struggle. Cole grabbed all of it without a word, letting Kai climb down safely without breaking his neck. Kai loured. Cole rolled his eyes.

"Gimme that," Kai ordered, taking the blankets forcefully out of Cole's hands before turning to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm not sleeping with you three," Kai insisted. "I'll just stay in the living room."

Jay scoffed. "Well, that's offensive!"

"We don't bite," Zane replied.

Kai hummed in response, then left.

Cole sighed, and shook his head. "That guy."

Zane stepped gingerly out of his bed, watching the door. "Perhaps we should go to him. Do something, some sort of bonding activity, to kindle a friendship with him. Then he won't push himself to sleep somewhere else."

"Wait, don't we have to leave at like five?" Jay asked from the top of his bunk. "And we have to push the horse carriage, too," he groaned.

Cole checked his watch. "We have an hour. And if we settle down then, we'll still get a full eight hours."

Jay sighed. "Alright, fine."

**. . .**

_Stupid other students. Why didn't Sensei tell me about them? I thought I was going to do this alone._

Kai didn't really want to sleep on the couch. But, he didn't want to sleep with _them_, either. They had been here longer than him, they had been training harder than him, and that was _their _room. They probably looked down on him, because of that. They didn't want to sleep in the same room with him.

And... he didn't want to have to deal with the awkwardness, either.

He was about to climb in and be done, when a curly ginger head popped out from behind the back of the couch.

"Hello!"

Kai jumped about fifteen feet in the air (he didn't scream, FSM forbid Sensei Wu wake up), but he did fall backwards, narrowly missing the coffee table.

The teen (_the one... the one in blue, I think?_) burst into a fit of giggles. And his pajamas were, in fact, blue. Two teens taller than him walked in after that, one in black, and one in white.

Kai frowned, scrambling to get back on his feet. "Do you need something?"

The one in black put a hand on his hip. "Considering we have an hour before we actually need to go to bed, we thought you wanted to do something before then."

"I'm good."

The blue one leaned closer. "C'mon, don't be a party pooper!"

Then, the one in white cleared his throat to get Kai's attention. "We wanted to properly introduce ourselves to you, since Sensei's way was—"

"—Not how we wanted to, um, meet you," said the one in black. Kai tried to remember their names, he really did, but to be honest he wasn't really paying a lot of attention back in the courtyard. _This one... was... Joel? No, um... _His mind had been on his sister. In fact, it hadn't changed from that ever since she was kidnapped.

White nodded. "Yes. You see, Sensei Wu made it very formal, but we wanted to know the, well, _real _you."

Kai's brow furrowed. He didn't have time for this. These guys were just his comrades in battle, the rest of the team that would help him save his sister. Though, he supposed getting to know them better would be a good thing.

Kai nodded. "Get on with it, I guess."

The one in blue took his opportunity and leaped over the back of the couch and stood on the cushions, for... drama, he guessed. Kai noticed the white one tense up a little at this. "I'm Jay!" He extended his hand, and Kai shook it awkwardly. "As Sensei said, I'm like lightning, or something, I dunno."

Kai smirked. "You're kinda short."

The one in black hid a laugh. Jay scowled. "Don't push it."

"And I'm Zane," the white one greeted.

The one in black only nodded. "Cole. Sensei made me leader."

_Cole! That's it. Jay, Zane, and Cole. Alright._

Kai hummed. "Okay. I'm Kai. And my sister's—" he bit his lip. Should he say? Would she have wanted this? "My... my sister's name is Nya." Then, he gave them the most determined look he could muster.

"_She's_ who I'm after. Not the weapons."

**. . .**

**I... had a lot of trouble with this chapter. Not only was the length a problem but I kept noticing a bunch of**** flaws I forgot to take into consideration... like, say, I forgot about Zane's six sense! Oh well. Here it is, and hopefully not a lot of people care too much for the little details.**

**Please review, and thank you so much for reading!**


	17. Weapons of Who-Knows-What

**Another long chapter! I hope you guys like this one, but it's mostly recap. :(**

**Big thanks to Seleine16, Grammarosprey, and ColdWaterChicken! Most have you have been reviewing since the start and I've never been happier!**

**Seleine16– Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that someone thinks they're awesome, because I always wonder if they're a bit iffy.**

**Grammarosprey— Yes, I knooow! I think it has something to do with him being a Nindroid, like maybe he has some way of knowing the probability of what will happen to them, like P.I.X.A.L. But, that's my opinion, so I dunno for sure. Thank you for reviewing!! :D**

**ColdWaterChicken— Man, you're having some tough times. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what to say. Kind of not related, but I'm curious: Are your chickens meat chickens or egg chickens? You don't have to answer, if you don't want to. I hope you cheer up soon! If you look to much on the past, you won't see the future, right? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**. . .**

"_Sign me up_," Jay mocked. "Way to go, Sparkplug."

The four of them were on their way to the first weapon, and as Sensei had promised, they were taking the horse carriage. What that was, exactly, was a regular carriage that was pulled _manually_ instead of using an actual _horse_. That meant that while Sensei Wu sat in the carriage, the four of them pulled it. While running.

Kai hated it. His feet were starting to hurt, and he swore he would collapse at any given moment.

Zane gasped for air beside him. "I sense this is some strange form of... team building..."

"Just keep pulling. We have a long way to go," Cole replied. He, of course, was in the front, Zane and Jay were pulling on the sides, and Kai was in the back.

Kai pushed a little harder on the bars. "So... where did Sensei find you three?"

Cole turned a little to look at him. "Let's just say if it wasn't for Sensei Wu, I don't think we would ever be seen together. I was testing my limits."

"_I _was testing my invention," Jay added.

"And I... was testing myself..."

Kai nodded. "You're right. If it wasn't for Sensei none of us would of—"

"Stop!"

Speaking of their sensei, Wu made them slow down before he hopped off the carriage. His students steps behind him, he hiked up to the top of the mountain they were climbing.

Kai peeked his head around a large, rust-colored boulder. As they had been hiking, the trees and other vegetation slowly began to disappear, until the landscape was completely barren in sand, earth, and rock. As he looked around the rock he saw that the mountain had been completely hollowed out at the top, dug out and mined by the Skulkins until there was hardly a mountain left.

"The Caves of Despair," Wu told them. "Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Quakes. Remember!" he warned. "Do not use the weapon. For its power—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jay interrupted, rolling his eyes. "'Is too much for us mortals'. Alright guys, let's chop-socky this lemonade stand! Cole, you got the plan?"

That was the last thing Kai heard from them before he completely lost his patience, and slid down the mountain side on his own, into the quarry. He paused for a brief moment behind a large stone to think. There were four watchtowers, but no Skulkins were up there, from what he could see. A few were scattered around the edge of the quarry, but the rest of them were crowding around the mining area in the middle.

He sneaked around the edges of the quarry, staying just out of sight of the Skulkins. Still none in the watchtowers, except... for one.

Samukai, the four-armed, red-eyed leader of the Skulkins, was in the watchtower farthest from where Kai had entered. And, he was holding the map.

Kai's fiery red mask stuck to his face from sweat as he moved from his hiding spot to climb up the tower— when Zane, Jay, and Cole materialized out of nowhere to join him. They could all see Samukai and the map closely through a hole in the roof.

"What's the matter with you?" Jay whispered furiously, clapping Kai on the back.

Kai made a _shhh_! noise, and pointed to the Skulkin below them. That's when the four of them noticed something rather obvious about the map.

"It's upside down!" Jay exclaimed, keeping his voice low. "They're digging in the wrong spot!"

"The Golden Weapon is near," Zane told them.

The 'Master of Ice', as he was supposed to be, tied a thin rope around one of his shurikens, and threw it down at the map Samukai had so obliviously left on the table. He pulled it up, letting Cole examine it for a moment— when Kai abandoned them once again.

"There's no time to waste," he said, before jumping off the tower.

Jay shook his head. "What is it with that guy? Always in a rush?"

**. . .**

Kai followed what the map had said and made it to the other side of the caves, where the Golden Weapon was supposed to be. He spotted a boulder touching the wall that looked a little suspicious, and started to push on it with all his might to get it moving... but, his body was still sore from pulling Wu all the way here. He couldn't do it alone, it wouldn't budge.

"Hey, before you race off again, you need to remember we're a _team_," Cole told him. The three of them kept following him, they stayed right at his heels. They wouldn't leave.

Kai stopped pushing. "Yeah. Whatever."

They helped him push, and soon enough, the boulder moved aside to reveal a cave hidden behind it.

When the cave should have been dark and cold, something lit up the room. Large stone statues of samurai warriors lined the walls, staring ominously into the center— where the Scythe of Quakes sat in the mouth of a stone dragon, emitting a soft golden light.

"Woah," Jay astonished. "That is _so cool_!"

Jay's voice echoed through the cave system, and he cringed, quickly realizing that was a bit _too _loud.

"_Shhh_!" Cole reprimanded as he removed the scythe from its resting spot in the dragon's mouth. The handle was smooth and radiated warmth. The blade was carved like a dragon's mouth breathing fire, and a small gemstone in its eye looked a lot like a tiny smoky quartz. "Not so loud!"

Jay waved him away, examining one of the stone samurai. "Aw, don't be _paranoid_. We're totally on the opposite side of the caves."

Kai could see Cole's brow furrowed under his mask. "Zip it, okay?" Kai stumbled backwards in surprise when their leader tossed the scythe to _him_. "Now that we've got the scythe, let's sneak out while those boneheads are still busy. Alright, team. Everyone stick together. The way out is just around the corner—"

And suddenly, the four of them turned and were right in front of Samukai and his army, which extended all the way through the caves to the entrance. Samukai sneered, brandishing his four sharp bone daggers.

Cole quickly pulled out his own scythe, and Jay with his nunchucks, Kai with his katana, and Zane with his shurikens. The rest of the Skulkins launched themselves into battle, wielding swords, spears, haladie, and flails.

Kai let himself loose on these guys. He hadn't had a proper fight since his tousle last night, and he didn't even get a chance to win that one. His metal against their bone, he sliced heads, limbs, and jabbed chests with the hilt of his sword to knock the Skulkins off their feet. But at some point, a group of them surrounded him, and he was ready to _throw down _on them if they when anywhere near the Golden—

"Kai!" Zane called. "Throw it here!"

He tossed it to the ninja clad in white, and barely heard a "Going long!" from Cole before it was tossed to him as well.

"There's too many of them!" Kai grunted.

Jay, however, was still practically overflowing with zealous energy. "Let _me _handle that." He knocked out three skeletons with his nunchucks around himself and Kai, before Jay realized something.

He grinned under his mask. "Eh, guys! It's just like the training course!"

And it was. Seven skeletons holding swords and spears surrounded a single skeleton swinging a flail in the center, much like the swinging planks in their training course back home.

Jay kicked four skeletons in the head in a row, "Over the planks..." flipped over three, avoiding their blades, "...dodge the sword..." and began to spin in a rather rhythmic motion, hurling himself towards the one in the middle. "Here comes the dummy, cha-ching!"

Except, he didn't stop spinning. He kept going. Soon, his footsteps were replaced with sparks of blue and bright white electricity, and then he was completely enshrouded in a tornado of pure lightning. He continued to knock out several Skulkins, until a large percentage of Samukai's army was completely wiped out.

Kai's eyes widened. "_Spinjitzu_. Jay, what's the key?"

Jay's laugh rang from inside the surging twister. "I'm just going through the motions!" It was _incredible _using Spinjitzu. Things sped past you at the speed of light, but so did he. "This is what Sensei must have meant when he said we already know it!"

Soon, Kai was a tornado of red and orange fire, and Zane of ice. "I sense you do not stand a chance," he told the Skulkins. Cole's Spinjitzu was one of earth and rock, and one could swear the elements were coming right out of their feet. Eventually, Samukai called for a retreat.

Cole slowed to a stop. "Heh, guess they didn't want a second serving of _these _babies," he crowed, glancing boastfully at his biceps. Jay refrained from rolling his eyes, and Kai face-palmed. "Good thing they didn't check out the merchandise in the back!" he continued, swiveling around.

Kai laughed, high-fiving Jay, who let out a whoop of victory.

"Uh... guys?"

Zane hummed in thought. "Didn't Sensei say there was a guardian protecting the weapons?"

"Is that— a... that's not what I think it is, is it?" Cole stuttered. Zane, Kai, and Jay turned around to see what Cole was talking about, and sure enough, there had been a guardian. A creature much larger than all of them combined stood up on its hind legs, extending its claws. Stone hard, sharp scales an earthy brown color covered it from head to toe, scaly brown frill was spread wide behind its ears, wings spread out so far they touched both ends of the cave, and chilling green eyes stared down at them.

"Y-you mean a dragon?" Jay replied.

Kai took a step back. "Uh, that sure looks like a dragon."

Zane gulped, voice tinted a little in fear. "I sense we won't be able to spin our way out of this one."

Suddenly the dragon lurched forward, and instead of breathing fire, had a breath that caused dust and rocks to spring up wherever it landed. The four of them jumped out of the way just in time before they were nearly buried alive. The dragon gave a low growl, and did it again. The ninja collectively ducked out of the way and hid behind a rock crevice.

"I thought dragons weren't from this world!" said Cole.

Kai glanced down at the scythe in his hands, then ripped off the protective cover they had put on it, revealing its golden expertise.

Jay's eyes widened. "Nonono, Kai, _bad idea_. Sensei told us not to!"

"Then you better keep your mouth shut," Kai retorted. He rushed forward, raising the Scythe of Quakes over his head— before driving it into the earth below him, in front of the dragon.

The dragon cocked its head in confusion. The caves began to shake, and a large fissure appeared under the dragon's feet. Chunks of Earth and stone started to fall from the ceiling. The four ran to the other side, but the entrance had already caved in.

"We've got to escape!"

Then, Cole looked up at a crack in the ceiling open to the sky, and knew immediately that there was only one way to it before they were all crushed.

"We'll use Spinjitzu," he proposed, pulling out his scythe. All four of them started to spin as soon as the dragon got up again, and squeezed through the crack that a dragon couldn't fit through. They burst back out into the sunlight, where Sensei Wu was waiting for them, and slowed down to a stop.

"Oh ho, that was _so _awesome!"

"Yes! We are unbelievable."

Wu frowned.

"We _are _the best!"

"Ha! Did you see that? I was like _pow_, and you were like _bam—_"

"Enough!" Sensei snapped. "I told you not to use the scythe!"

Jay instantly pointed to Kai, who stood right there with the Scythe of Quakes in his hand. "He did it."

"What?"

"I warned him, Sensei."

Kai scoffed. "Using it was my only option!"

Wu stepped up to him. "And what makes you think you are more important then the team? Huh?"

Kai bristled, then snarled, "They took my _sister_, remember?"

"There are still three weapons left," Wu replied, cooling off. "Maybe next time you can do it right."

Kai huffed. _He doesn't get it. Nya's all I have_. He gripped the scythe a little tighter, rested it on his shoulder, and followed the rest of them back to the carriage.

**. . .**

It was nighttime in the Forest of Tranquility. The sounds of crickets and the distant hoot of an howl _couldn't _be heard, as well as the crackling the fire, when Cole was constantly striking the bongos he had brought for celebration. Zane's eyes were closed, but he couldn't meditate properly with all of the noise.

It had been three days since they had first retrieved the Scythe of Quakes from the Caves of Despair. From there they moved onto the Frozen Wasteland to find the Shurikens of Ice, then to the Floating Ruins for the Nunchucks of Lightning. From what Jay and Kai said, they were winning, but that would have been too easy... right?

"Come on, Sensei, join us!"

Now, they were celebrating, at least Kai, Jay, and Cole were. The cheerful beat of Cole's bongos left the other two to dance, goofing off when they should have been sleeping.

"There is still one weapon left," Wu told them. "We must get our sleep."

Jay groaned. "Aw, Sensei— c'mon, you've gotta admit, we're kickin' their bony butts!"

Sensei thought about it for a minute.

"Get up here, show us some moves!" Kai urged.

He bowed his head. "Mm. I... guess I could." He stood up, and stepped closer to the fire. Cole's music stopped as they all watched their master carefully. "Now, this move is very special," Wu said.

Zane unfolded his hands, grinning wryly. "But if done incorrectly, could lead to disastrous consequences?"

Earlier, on their ship to the Frozen Wasteland, Sensei Wu had mentioned something about a "Tornado of Creation" that only worked when the four of them combined their Spinjitzu. According to Sensei, it had the power to create something out of nothing, but when it was done wrong, it would lead to a terrible outcome.

The three of his teammates burst into laughter.

"Aw, Zane, is that a joke?" Kai asked. "A sense of humor! You found it."

Zane blinked in surprise. Really? Was that all it took?

That's when Sensei Wu started to dance, the steady beating of Cole's bongos picked up, and the laughing ensued. Zane sat down, refusing to dance with them but settled on watching. It just wasn't his... what did Jay call it? "Thing". Eventually his hands strayed to the Golden Weapons that sat aside their fire.

The nunchucks were forged in pure gold just like the scythe, with two dragon heads connected with an odd little bolt of electricity instead of the usual chain. You couldn't disconnect them— Jay had already tried. There were also tiny gemstones about the size of a pea in the dragon's eye and on the handles, which Zane recognized as either blueberry quartz or amethyst.

The shurikens weren't much different— the same gold, the same dragon design on the handles. The tiny gemstones in the dragons' eyes were probably moonstones. Zane caressed their smooth surface gently. He couldn't wait to use these in battle.

Jay had been gloating about how great they were earlier, that the Skulkins couldn't _possibly _defeat them, but Zane had a different idea. He didn't know why... but something told him things wouldn't go as planned.

**. . .**

**Next chapter is gonna be called "Welcome to the Fire Temple", where all the FUN stuff happens! Anyone else excited? :D**

**Thank you for reading! And please review!**


	18. Welcome to the Fire Temple

**GAH I'M LATE AGAAAAAAAIN. Sorry for like, hardly a twenty-four hour wait, but here you go!**

**_Gimungus _thanks to Grammarosprey, ProfessorYeti, and ColdWaterChicken for reviewing! You guys are too nice...**

**Grammarosprey— *slowly slides cookie back* Thank you, but I'll stick to my outline, thanks. XD Though, I suppose that would be a bit more interesting! Haha _yes_, I totally agree with you there, but it's a kids show... so I guess the writers kinda get away with it? Thank you for reviewing!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Ah, OK. Sounds frustrating! I would be down in the dumps too. But thank you, I love writing Zane (along with everyone else, Jay is my _ultimate _favorite, hence the name) and I'm glad you like reading! Oh, I'm sure a lot of people on this website care, it just depends on the people you talk to. ;) Thank you for reviewing!**

**ColdWaterChicken (2)— Cool! Yes, since my mother and grandmother are piano teachers me and my brother get lessons for free, so we _have _to, but I love doing it (I'm currently playing _Für Elise_!). Haha, I meant _Conya_, which is Cole and Nya, but yes, I agree with you there too. I'm just not a homosexual, um, supporter? It's not right. **

**. . .**

_Kai._

Kai's eyes opened slowly, and he blinked repeatedly to focus. His eyelids were heavy, and felt as if they were coated in molasses. His legs were numb, his arms were sore, Cole was snoring a few feet away, and he couldn't see a thing.

"Kai."

There it was, that voice again. His eyes opened fully, and he forced his sore arms to prop him up so he could look around. The fire was completely dead. The rest of his team and his sensei were still fast asleep, Jay at his head, and Wu, Cole, and Zane at his feet. No one else had heard the voice, but he had, because he knew that voice.

"Kai!"

And there she was, standing a few yards off. Her raven hair was still neat and cropped to her chin, her sea-blue eyes dim in the dark but wide nonetheless, and still in her ruby red kimono. He stood up, wobbly but forcing the blood to flow back in his legs so he could stand properly.

"Is that..."

"I have to go," she told him. Then she whipped around, and booked it.

"Nya! Wait up!" he whisper-yelled, trying not to wake his sleeping comrades. He chased his sister through the dense woods of the Forest of Tranquility, but he nearly lost sight of her in the dark. "Slow down... why are you running so fast?"

Then he burst into a clearing.

"Nya, where are you?"

In front of him stood an ominous, blazing volcano, just at the edge of the woods. Lava poured from the mouth of the volcano, pooling into a sea of the stuff, flowing into massive rivers surrounding him, and blocking his path to the volcano. A single rotting, crumbling stone bridge was in front of him, crossing one of those rivers, and leading right to a building settled into the mountain.

Kai knew what that building was. It was where he and his team were headed, where the Sword of Fire laid.

_The Fire Temple_, he thought. _She must've gone in there_.

He crossed the bridge, the unsettling warmth of the lava basking the whole area. It was a weird warmth, not comforting like his forge at home. But, kinda terrifying, like an omen of death. He didn't care for it.

The door creaked open, revealing a temple overrun with lava. At the end of the room was the sword, but he was focused on his sister, who stood directly in front of it.

He grinned. "Nya!"

"Don't worry. I'm... right here... _brother_."

But, she changed, her voice distorting into one that chilled him through his skin into his bones. Her body shifted into the large shadow of a man with hollow eyes. Kai took a step back, horrified. The shadow's wicked laugh echoed through the temple.

"Garmadon," Kai realized, reaching for his katana— but his fingers didn't reach anything.

The shadow sneered. "Forgot something?"

"You can't hurt me here," he took another step beck. "You're banished! Trapped in the Underworld!"

"And that is why _you _are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me."

Kai growled. "I don't think so!"

"Are you sure about that?"

A rattle of chains was heard, and Nya (the _real _Nya, he hoped) was lowered over a pool of magma. Metal chains were wrapped around her midsection, leaving her feet dangling just above the scalding liquid. He could see in her eyes that she was glad to see him alright, but in their situation, it just wasn't the time.

"Kai!" she called.

"Nya—"

Garmadon's voice again echoed through the temple, but Kai couldn't get his eyes on him. "If you don't remove the sword, how else will you cut the chains to save your precious little sister?" the shadow asked.

"You know it's a trap!" Nya cut in, tugging furiously at her chains. "I can... free... myself—" her hands slipped, but the chains wouldn't budge. "Okay, that's right."

Then her chains dipped closer to the lava, and she screamed.

Kai couldn't bear it. He rushed forward out of instinct, closer to the sword.

"Tick tock, tick tock..." Garmadon teased. Kai slowed down for a mere moment, then front-flipped forwards and pulled the Sword of Fire from its Excalibur-esque resting place in one swift movement. He used his fiery Spinjitzu to slice Nya free, and catch her, bringing them both down safely on the other side.

"Stay close," he told her.

Nya huffed. "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

**. . .**

Somewhere, in the back of Cole's mind, he knew something was wrong. Something was _going to go wrong_, he _knew _it, but he had been so caught up in celebrating their victories, he had ignored his gut.

He wasn't exactly sure _what _had woken him up that night, whether it had been a noise he hadn't fully processed or something shook him, but whatever the case, his sleep-addled brain had told him to _wake up_. His eyes opened, and though his vision was still foggy, he could clearly see two bony feet standing just in front of him.

Cole shot up instantly, reaching for his scythe— but it wasn't there. Another Skulkin wove it smugly a few yards away. Glancing at his surroundings, he knew immediately what happened.

The Skulkins had raided their camp. The Golden Weapons were gone, along with Kai and Wu, and he could see Jay and Zane struggling under tightly-knotted ropes.

He gulped. He wasn't sure why they had left him for last, but it certainly reminded him of his failure as a leader.

**. . .**

"You can't hurt us! You're only a shadow!"

Garmadon's chilling laugh rang through the temple once again. "Even shadows have their uses."

Kai started when his own dormant shadow started to move, now sporting crimson eyes that told him it was under Garmadon's control. It phased past them and stood in front of him, brandishing the phantom of the Sword of Fire.

Nya gasped. "Kai, look out!"

Shadow Kai swung his sword— a bit clumsily, but he could tell it still had power behind it— and Kai pushed Nya farther behind him. "Stay back, Nya," he told her.

"Stay close, stay back, make up your mind!"

Kai took a few swings at the shadow, but his sword phased right through it. Then Shadow Kai through three well-aimed kicks at his stomach, and Kai could definitely feel a force behind those. The air was knocked completely out of him and his breathing spasmed as he tumbled backwards.

His sister gasped behind him, then turned furiously to the shadow. "That's not fair!"

"Oh. Am I being too harsh?" Garmadon asked, just as Shadow Kai multiplied, a long line of shadows exactly the same materializing behind the first one.

Kai growled, getting up and running headfirst into them all, swinging uselessly at them with his sword, only to get beat up by them right after. Eventually, he dropped his sword, and it fell to the stone floor with a _clang_. One of the shadows reached down and picked it up, raising it victoriously over its head...

When it was suddenly knocked down. In the middle of them stood a shadow of Sensei Wu, who really stood on the opposite side of the room. He knocked out most of the shadows with his own, and scared away the rest with a grand shadow of a falcon he made with his hands. Once the sword was free, he ran over, and took it himself.

"Brother," Garmadon's shadow snarled. "I see you protect one, but what of the other three?"

"They are safe. Far from your grasp, Garmadon," Wu replied.

He sneered. "I wouldn't be so confident."

And then, Garmadon showed them a scene with Cole, Zane, and Jay tied up, suspended from a tree, and Samukai with three of the four Golden Weapons. Sensei Wu frowned.

"My brother must not unite the four weapons," he said. "We must keep them apart."

The three of them headed to the center of the temple, when Garmadon bellowed, "Awaken, guardian of the deep! They're stealing the sword! You _must not let them escape_."

The head of a dragon the same as the earth dragon, the lightning dragon, and the ice dragon from before rose out of the lava. Its scales were the color of rubies and carnelians, its eyes slits of black surrounded by yellow, and its long, sharp teeth glinted in the dim light of the temple lava. It was more of a wyvern than a dragon, similar to the one they faced in the Frozen Wasteland.

It roared, and Nya screamed, and its massive tail caused stone to seal the entrance and trap them inside.

"There's no way out," Kai realized. "He's taken away all our options."

Sensei Wu bowed his head. "All, but one."

To Kai, the rest of what just happened came in a blur. Wu made a dash for the open tunnel opposite of the entrance, where all the lava pooled into who-knows-where. He let himself float on a loose chunk of rock, where he sat down cross-legged with the sword on his lap.

"If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld," he explained. "It is my sacrifice to bear."

Kai was at a loss for words. "No, it's mine! I shouldn't have come on my own," he argued, practically begging his sensei to stay. He didn't know what to do without him... Wu had done so much for him. "You don't have to do this! There has to be another way!"

But, Wu didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out his signature holly blue teapot, and poured himself a cup, before his chunk of rock fell down the tunnel. Garmadon followed him suit, and Kai fell to his knees. The hot stone burned his palms, but he didn't care.

"It's all my fault. Sensei won't be able to hold up for long," Kai told his sister.

Nya chuckled nervously. "Forget Sensei. What about us?"

_Oh, that's right. The dragon._

**. . .**

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"For the last _time_, we were focused on _other things—_"

"You could've warned me! I could've grabbed my weapon before they caught me and gotten the upper hand on them!"

Cole went silent as a wave of dizziness rushed over him. The blood had run completely to his head, and he was sure Zane felt the same way, because they were upside-down, and Jay was not.

While the Skulkins were cheering for themselves, they had hung the three ninja, who were tied a little bit closer to each other than they'd consider comfortable, from the branch of a nearby conifer. Cole and Zane were tied the opposite way Jay was, and he just _had _to be the one hung upside-down.

_I'm pretty sure he deserves some of this_, Cole though glumly, choosing to ignore the pressure building in his head. But, then his attention was drawn to the Skulkin leader.

Samukai raised the golden scythe, nunchucks, and shurikens that were held in three of his four bony hands over his head, and leered. "To the Fire Temple!" he announced.

The Skulkins cheered.

"My brother has taken the Sword of Fire to the Underworld," a new voice told Samukai. _Garmadon? _Cole wondered. "Hurry! Return home and unite the weapons before it's too late!"

Samukai was silent as the shadow took off. He turned to his army. "Uh... change of plans. To the Underworld!"

The Skulkin army hopped on their vehicles and drove off, most likely to where Garmadon had told them: the _Underworld_. Cole coughed, the pressure in his head growing unbearable.

"Great! Now what?"

Jay chuckled, struggling with something in his hands. "Er... _now_, we get outta here!" He pulled out an all-too-familiar Skulkin sword, one he must have snatched from a skeleton when it wasn't watching. Cole and Zane's eyes widened.

"Uh... Jay?" Cole began slowly. "Before you do that, you might wanna—"

Without waiting to listen, Jay cut them down, and they collapsed on top of each other in the dirt. Cole— _again— _was on the bottom.

"—warm us."

Zane got up first, and pointed to where the Skulkins had gone. "Let's go!"

The three pulled their masks down over their faces and got moving. By jumping from tree to tree, they eventually caught up with the Skulkin trucks. Cole slowed the main truck down, giving Jay and Zane enough time to hop on and wrestle with the skeletons. Zane knocked two off the truck, then Jay knocked off two, then Jay spun into a raging blue tornado and knocked off two more. He tried to free the Golden Weapons from their spot locked at the back of the truck, but nearly broke his knuckles trying.

Cole used the blunt end of his scythe to fight a group of Skulkins, when a flash out of the corner of his eye drew his attention and he swung it back into his attacker's throat...

"Hey Cole— _ack_."

When he coughed in surprise, however, Cole realized in horror that he had hit _Jay_. He was lucky Cole hadn't used _all _of his strength in that swing.

"Jay! Sorry, I didn't see you," he replied quickly. Jay's voice was raspy and incoherent, so he only nodded, shooting him a thumbs-up.

Despite the ninja's valiant efforts, the Skulkin truck was headed straight for a tall, rocky plateau, and it sped up considerably. The three were thrown off the truck, forced to watch, lying in the mud, as the vehicle sped through a fiery portal to the Underworld.

A clap of thunder was heard, and rain began to sprinkle from the dark clouds in the air. Cole stared helplessly where the trucks had disappeared.

"We dih— _ack_, nt stahp them..." Jay rasped, clutching his throat.

Cole sighed. "You don't need to say it. I know. We've lost.

**. . .**

"Easy, _easy _there, buddy," Nya cooed, placing a gentle hand on the wyvern's warm scales. "We're on your side."

The dragon made a noise deep in his throat, but not a threatening noise. He lowered his massive carnelian head and poked Nya playfully in the shoulder with his nose.

Kai chuckled, caressing one of the dragon's wings. Once Wu and Garmadon left, the dragon had, almost instantly, cooled off. He didn't _immediately _attack him and his sister, and Kai hoped he never would, because they hadn't done anything to harm him. It was kinda funny, he was just like any dog or cat, because all he wanted from them was attention.

Nya sighed. "What are you gonna do?"

Kai hesitated. "I don't know. If Sensei Wu and Garmadon and the Skulkins are all in the Underworld, what can we do? I'm stuck up here. Mortals can't go there, and even if Sensei did, I'm pretty sure he's not entirely mortal."

"But... but remember what our parents told us about dragons?" she continued.

He scoffed. "That they can travel through realms? I've seen some crazy things this past week, and... I guess if dragons even _do _exist, what's there to lose?"

Nya grinned. "I—"

"Wait! Listen..."

Kai looked to the entrance of the temple, or what _used _to be the entrance, and heard voices. Familiar voices, three very familiar voices. He grinned.

"Get on the dragon."

"_What_?"

"Just do it! My team's here, lemme hoist you up..."

The wyvern realized what they were doing, and lowered himself so they could climb on, acting as if he had done this a million times and enjoyed it. Kai sat closest to the dragon's long neck, and Nya sat behind him, when Kai remembered something.

"Oh, yeah," he turned to his sister. "Jay's crazy for you, even if he hasn't met you yet. Just a warning."

Nya looked shocked. "Really?"

Then, Kai recognized the voice closest to the door. It was Cole.

"_Ugh, great. The one place no mortal can cross over_."

**. . .**

"_We _might not be able to cross over..."

Jay jumped. Was that... Kai? _But, Zane just said that he was in the Underworld!_

The Fire Temple suddenly opened up from the sides like a sort of dollhouse, revealing a dragon guardian just like the last three they had to deal with. But, once the smoke cleared, Jay saw Kai sitting on _top _of it, and, clutching his midsection, must have been his kidnapped younger sister.

She looked _just _like Kai, like, _just _like him. She had the same fiery eyes, cocky grin, and determined expression as their hotheaded roommate. Her hair was darker than Kai's, however, nearly black, and cut to her chin. Jay found himself struggling to get his eyes off her. Was he really that taken?

"...but a dragon can!" Kai finished.

The creature roared, and Cole jumped about fifteen feet in the air, let out a startled shriek, and ran behind an outcropping of rock. Jay would've laughed if his throat wasn't so sore.

"Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons," Kai's sister explained. "They were mystical creatures that belonged to both worlds and ferried between them."

"Wha— are you _insane_?" Cole sputtered.

Kai laughed. "Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite the softie," the dragon poked at Kai with his snout, making him laugh even more. "Knock it off!"

Nya giggled, and Jay turned to her. Now was his chance, he— he _had _to ask her.

"D'yoo ike bloo?" Jay rasped. He coughed, cheeks flushed.

Zane stepped in. "He cannot talk, but he wants to know if you like blue."

Jay nodded, grinning up at her hopefully. _Thanks, Zane_.

Nya smiled back, though she looked a little puzzled. "It's my favorite color."

"_Yes_!"

Kai rolled his eyes, but he turned to his sister, suddenly sullen. "Nya..."

She frowned. "This is goodbye, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Come back to me in one piece, okay?" she asked, smiling weakly. "I don't wanna have to run the store on my own."

Kai hopped back on the dragon. "I promise, I won't be gone long."

"I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return."

Jay and Zane climbed up on the dragon as well, but Cole stayed back.

"Uh, you guys go on ahead," he proposed. "There's not enough room for all of us on that... thing..."

But Kai grinned, almost wickedly. "You're right, Cole. But I've got a way to fix that."

**. . .**

**Next chapter it gets even _more _exciting! I will get into more of how they tamed the dragons and, y'know, became friends with them. **

**Thank you for reading! And please review!**


	19. Goodbye Lord Garmadon

**Hi again! I'm finally on schedule! :D**

**Thank you Grammarosprey and ColdWaterChicken for reviewing!**

**Grammarosprey— *sweating nervously* Haha, so yeah, that. What I was _meant _by a 'rotting, crumbling stone bridge' was... I'm not sure, really. In the pilots the bridge is stone _and _wood, so... my mistake. And yes, I'm glad someone appreciates that little detail. It's always bugged me!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Aw, thank you! While I love flowery/wordy stories, I have an issue with understanding them as easily, so I try to fix that. And yes, my mom and grandma are definitely more classic piano players, I would love to play modern songs like that! Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter :) No, I absolutely love reading your long reviews! They make my day!**

**. . .**

"C'mon, you've gotta go!"

Jay shook his head stubbornly. Kai sighed, turning to Zane and Cole, who only shrugged. He turned back to Jay, who still stood at the foot of the Floating Ruins, refusing to climb back up the giant pair of nunchucks that was surrounded in thick electricity, enough to cause several objects near the top to float.

"You've _got _to go up there, because we can't be the ones to face that dragon, or we'll be fried!" Kai argued. "But you can, and you're not going to ride on the back of _my _dragon."

Jay looked about ready to shout back that he was _not going to die for this_, but his swollen throat kept him from doing so. All he could do was make raspy noises and grunt, while shaking his head and gesturing wildly.

Cole finally sighed and stepped up to Jay. The ninja in blue went quiet, or as quiet as he could possibly get.

"Jay, c'mon, this is for Wu," he begged. "You know we need that dragon to get to the Underworld and help him. You've just got to do it, man."

Jay paused, and stared at Cole for a couple of seconds. Finally, he sighed, nodded, and began to climb the Floating Ruins. The rest of them cheered. But, it had only been a few minutes before they watched Jay get thrown back off the ruins, the dragon following suit.

Cole caught Jay before he touched the ground, and dodged the electric blue dragon's massive wings as it swooped down to attack.

_Man, this guy's a feisty one_, Cole thought.

The dragon landed, tail thrashing, nostrils flaring, and claws dug deep into the dirt, looking about ready to charge. They could see lightning sparking at the corners of its mouth. Jay cautiously stepped closer to the dragon, extremely nervous but knowing deep down that he was immune to the dragon's power.

Soon he was close enough to touch it. The dragon wasn't moving, it only looked startled. He placed his hand on its snout, feeling the sparks around it barely tickle his palm, and eventually the electricity around its jaw disappeared.

It relaxed, and so did Jay.

The next dragon was much easier. The ice dragon, a wyvern like the one in the Fire Temple, easily calmed down with Zane's presence. And, though it wasn't easy, they did manage to get Cole near the earth dragon.

They had also slipped into new suits when taming the dragons, ones they found in the saddle bags that were with the dragons. They were in their usual colors, with a dragon printed in gold on the chest, breathing it's own element, with a tail curled on the legs.

Their next step was to get themselves in the Underworld.

"Easy... not so fast..." Cole's shaky voice told the earth dragon.

The ninja were high up in the clouds, a couple miles away from the Caves of Despair, just above a large, open plot of land, on the backs of four colorful dragons. Kai's wyvern, whom he had already dubbed as "Flame", flew headstrong and bold. Jay's flew fast, and was constantly doing flips and loops, of which Jay adored. The ice dragon's wing beats were light and graceful, unlike Cole's, who flew slow and clumsily.

"Woooooo!" Kai yelled, clutching Flame's long neck. "This is _awesome_!"

Zane grinned heartily. "Yes, this is quite fun."

"_Wooooohoohoohoo_!"

"So, how do the dragons cross over to the Underworld?" Cole asked. He was seated backwards on the earth dragon, clutching the back of the old saddles they had with his life.

Kai laughed. "I think we're about to find ou—"

And then the dragons dived, headed straight for the _very solid _ground below them. The ninja's screams could be heard for miles as the creatures began to spin, pointed like little drills preparing to penetrate Ninjago's crust. They didn't stop, and the ground came closer and closer before suddenly everything shifted, and they blacked out.

**. . .**

Cole's eyes popped open. "Is it over?"

The dragons were soaring through some sort of realm limbo, that consisted of several different elements and pieces of other realms trapped in narrow tunnels. As they flew past a tunnel filled with rocks and veins of some purple material, they had to maneuver past multiple rock formations so they wouldn't get hit.

"Hardly," came Kai's response. "I hope these dragons know what they're doing!"

As they flew, the dragons split up and went multiple different directions. They eventually rejoined in a tunnel filled with magma and hot springs that caused steam to distort the air.

Kai's hands gripped tighter on his dragon's scales. "They're speeding up. Hold on!"

Everything around them shifted and moved again before the dragons crashed someplace else. They weren't in the tunnels, and they certainly weren't in Ninjago.

They were concealed in a small cave next to a larger cavern, a _much _larger cavern, one of deep blue, ice cold stone that dripped from the ceiling as stalactites and reached up from the floor as stalagmites. That floor was miles below them, separated by a steep, underground cliff. Islands of rock seemed to float in different spots around the cavern, connected by melancholy chains, before they corralled in the center— where a fortified castle of rock and metal and bone stood.

"_Solid ground_." Cole sounded overjoyed. "We've made it!"

Zane stared at the castle for a while, before he said, "Sensei's inside."

Kai hummed, examining the entrance of Samukai's fort. Thousands of Skulkins guarded the entrance, various weapons in hand, and they were inspecting any "living" thing that tried to enter. "They're expecting us," he replied quietly.

They scaled the ceiling through the long stalactites. Jay reached for the next one— when he realized something wasn't right. The stalactite he was holding wasn't hard or cold. It was warm, and fuzzy, and prickly. He shivered, hesitantly looking up... only to see the eight-eyed, fanged, giant head of an Underworld spykor. And he was _touching it_.

He looked over, petrified, to see Cole and Kai dangling from the legs of a spykor as well, but they hadn't noticed. He tried to tell them, he _did_, but all the sounds he made were high-pitched, grating noises.

Cole rolled his eyes. "Can I be the first to say it's been an absolute _pleasure _since Jay lost his voice?" Kai nodded.

_Hey!_

And _then _they noticed. The spykors got aggressive, so they had to let go. Luckily, they hadn't been too far from one of the floating islands, but their landing still hurt. A lot.

"Ninja!" yelled one of the Skulkins. The surrounding skeletons raised their heads in alarm, and began to surround the ninja. All four of them stood back-to-back, weapons brandished, ready to throw down.

"I count ten boneheads to every one of us," Cole told them, tightening his grip on the scythe. "I think I like these odds."

But, then the spykors joined in on the excitement, leaving no room for escape, and no possible way to victory. Kai's brow furrowed.

"Uh oh... anyone got any bright ideas? 'Cause I'm all ears!"

Jay's eyes widened. "Tohnadoh of Crehation!"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You feel a weird sensation?" Cole guessed.

Jay shook his head, groaning. "No."

Zane pitched in, "You ate an odd crustacean?"

"Tohnadoh of Crehation!"

Kai gasped. "I got it, I got it! Two natives on vacation! Huh?"

Jay groaned again, before he burst into a coughing fit, as if he was trying to clear his throat. He strained his voice, and tried again, this time very clear: "Tornado of _Creation_!"

Realization dawned on them, and they all uttered soft _oh_s before chuckling. Zane smiled, "Welcome back."

But, Cole stepped in as their voice of reason. "But it could lead to disastrous consequences!"

"We're about to _have _a disastrous consequence," Kai argued.

Cole hesitated, then nodded. "Then, let's do this." He spun into his usual rocky brown Spinjitzu. "_Earth_!" he shouted.

"_Fire_!"

"_Ice_!"

"_Lightning_!"

Their tornadoes spun clockwise, slowly reaching closer together, before they combined their own unique styles into one giant tornado, a chaotic mish-mash of flames, ice, rock, and stray surges of electricity. It was way taller than if the four of them had stood on each other's head. It moved closer to the army of Skulkins, picking them right up along with multiple stray pieces of debris in their wind, and connected all of it to make "something out of nothing".

When they slowed down, they realized just what exactly they had built. A comical Ferris wheel, made of bone and stone, with pairs of Skulkins trapped in its cars.

Kai gestured to the fortress, before quickly running in its direction. "Hurry, there's no time to waste."

**. . .**

After entering the Skulkin fortress, they found Wu almost immediately, in the throne room, battling with Samukai himself. Wu swung the Sword of Fire at the Skulkin leader's neck, but he dodged. Their situation seemed dire, because while Samukai had the golden scythe, nunchucks, and shurikens, their sensei only had the sword as his weapon.

Cole saw what must have been Sensei's brother, Garmadon, sitting opposite of them in the room. He looked just as freaky as he sounded, coming from Wu. His skin was a sickly black color, his grin revealed inch-long fangs, and his eyes were a bright crimson. He was clad in only battle armor, with what looked like normal robes underneath.

He gritted his teeth. He had to help Sensei, this fight wasn't fair! Cole moved to join Wu in the fight, with Jay and Zane just behind him, when someone stopped them.

Kai's arms were outstretched, blocking the only entrance inside, and keeping Cole just out of reach of the battle. Cole raised an eyebrow questioningly. _What was he doing_?

"No," he said. Even he looked unhappy with his decision. "This is Sensei's fight."

And so, the fight continued without their help. Sensei Wu fought valiantly, but due to the Nunchucks of Lightning, he was left on the ground, after the sword slipped out of his grasp.

Garmadon cleared his throat. "Bring me the four weapons," he ordered Samukai.

The Skulkin froze, before slowly reaching down and picking up the Sword of Fire, leaving all of the Golden Weapons in his hands. He kept his back to Garmadon, before he whipped around, grinning wickedly.

"No, _you _will obey _me _now!" Samukai demanded, pointing the weapons at Garmadon's throne. But, Garmadon only laughed, the same, cruel laugh Kai heard in the Fire Temple.

Samukai frowned. The weapons were starting to shake in his hands. He looked horrified, as if he couldn't let go of them. They began to quiver more violently. Sensei Wu took a few steps back, telling his ninja:

"No one can handle all of their power at once."

Garmadon looked bored at this point, and Samukai was starting to shake, himself. "You fool! You think I didn't plan on your betrayal?"

Samukai grimaced. "What's... happening to me?"

"You've fallen right into my master plan," Garmadon explained, sitting back in his throne. "Not even I can handle all of their power! But when they are combined, they'll create a vortex through space and time," he frowned, "allowing me to escape this ghastly place."

Cole snuck a glance at Wu, but his sensei didn't look surprised. Only sad.

Finally, Samukai was thrown into the air, and with a flash of light, was gone. The weapons clattered to the ground, and behind them grew a sparking, blinding vortex. Garmadon got up from his seat and examined it, a look of pure fascination on his face.

"Father would not want you to do this, brother," Wu begged.

Garmadon turned to him and snapped, "Father is no longer here!" The blinding white light of the vortex intensified, forcing them to squint to even see him. "Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon, I'll be strong enough to possess the four weapons, so I may recreate the world in my image!"

He took one step closer to the blazing vortex, before he turned to Wu one last time and said, "You. You were always his favorite."

And then he jumped through the vortex, and in a flash, he and the vortex were gone. All that was left was them, Sensei Wu, the weapons, and an empty throne room.

"He is gone," Sensei told them, "but he will return."

Kai picked up the Sword of Fire, the familiar warmth of the handle in his palm once again. "Then we'll be ready."

Jay, Zane, and Cole each picked up their weapons, and Cole nodded. "And we'll keep an eye out in case he tries another one of his evil plans."

Wu smiled, proudly. "Then I have done my part. The balance has been restored, for now."

**. . .**

**Sadly, this story is _almost _over! :'( What happened?**

**The next chapter is an epilogue sort of thing, with only a little bit of recap. Though I'll definitely say it again next week, I have to thank all of you that reviewed, followed, favorited, or even just read my first ever story. It means a lot! **


	20. We’re A Team Now

**I definitely had mixed feelings while editing this, but this is now officially the last chapter of _Origin Story_, originally named _Before We Were Ninja_. I had a lot of fun writing it, and was overjoyed to see how many people read and seemed to enjoy it! So, thank you Seleine16, Nuppa Nuppa, Grammarosprey and ColdWaterChicken for reviewing last chapter! **

**Seleine16– Once again, thank you! I'm glad you liked it.**

**Grammarosprey— It's an honor, thank you! I for one appreciate good fanfics and try my hardest to do the same. And yeah, I wasn't too happy with that either. XD Thanks for reviewing!**

**ColdWaterChicken— Haha, yes, I've heard of it, but I'm not too worried. Media's making it a big deal but I'm sure it'll die out, like any other virus. And ooh, I hate those dreams. Sounds freaky! Anyway, thank you for reviewing!**

**. . .**

The sun rose slowly over the rice terraces of Ignacia, casting a warm orange glow over the fields. A small building sat on top of a hill in the distance, surrounded by a courtyard full of trees and shrubs and old stone tiles overgrown with weeds. Jay could barely make it out from where he was mounted on his dragon, gliding just below the clouds, but Kai seemed to recognize it.

They had come straight from the Underworld, headed here on Kai's request. He was worried about his sister, and excessively so, even if he had just saved her from the Skulkins unharmed.

When they exited the palace and returned to where they had left the dragons, Jay saw his sensei's face light up at the sight of them. Almost as if he were an old friend of them, but then again, he _had_ been the one to place them as guardians of the Golden Weapons. Wu claimed he had another way of getting home, so they had, hesitantly, left on their dragons without him.

When they landed, Flame first, Nya ran out of the shop to hug her brother. Then Jay landed his dragon next to the siblings, hopped off, and exclaimed with his throat fully healed, "Hey, my turn!" So, Nya turned to embrace him as well.

When Zane's and Cole's feet were on the ground, neighboring rice farmers began to crowd them, cheering, after Nya had told them all about what the ninja were going to do.

"I'm _so happy _you're back," she told the boys, obviously relieved.

Kai smiled softly. "For now. But it's not over," he replied. "Lord Garmadon will return."

The cheering subsided, and a gloomy feeling rushed over the crowd.

Cole stepped in, a confident grin written on his face. "And we'll be ready!"

The crowd roared again, and the three of them raised their Golden Weapons in the middle, the heavy metal jarring with a _clang_...

...when the weapons detonated as soon as the four were touching, throwing Cole, Kai, Zane, and Jay several feet backwards. Nya, along with many farmers, gasped.

Kai chuckled, rubbing the back of his head where he landed. "Okay. We've got to remember _not _to do that again."

Cole groaned. "Good idea."

"Let's stick to high-fives instead," Jay suggested.

"Agreed," Zane added. At the laughs of the crowd, he asked hesitantly, "Was that a... joke?"

**. . .**

"Um... are they gonna leave?" Jay asked, glancing swiftly back up at the sky.

After picking up Nya, they agreed to meet up with Wu at the monastery. They removed the dragon's saddles, and set them free, proceeding their strenuous hike up the mountain... but the dragons were still nearby. Whether they were climbing up the rock with them, or circling above, they wouldn't leave.

Cole waved away a tuft of hair that was threatening to stick to his forehead beading with sweat, with a huff. "Tch. If they were planning on sticking around they could at least 'of landed on top of the mountain." At the other's incredulous looks, he replied, "What? Just because I hike often doesn't mean I don't get tired of it."

Jay raised his scarred eyebrow (that was beginning to fade), his mouth quirked into a knowing grin. "But you don't _like _dragons. You're _scared _of them."

At this, Cole flushed. "I... I didn't say _that_."

"I disagree," Zane stepped in. "What I remember you telling Jay is that the only thing you feared as a kid was—"

"That was then, this is now," Cole argued. "Rocky and I have a very close relationship now that we—"

"You _named _him?"

"Kai named his! What's the difference?"

"Hey, at least mine was a _good _name—"

"_Students_," called a familiar voice.

Their faces lit up. "Sensei," Cole asked, "why haven't the dragons left?"

The earth dragon, or Rocky, swooped down to cuddle with his owner, his large snout nuzzling Cole's shoulder, causing Jay to snort and Sensei Wu to raise his eyebrows in surprise. He stepped out of the monastery gateway and down a few steps to meet them. "They have nowhere to go. They are in your hands now."

Jay's eyes widened as his grin grew even bigger. "We can _keep_ them?"

"Yes." Wu turned to Nya, who was standing farthest away from him, behind Kai. "And you are welcome to stay in the monastery whenever you like."

Nya nodded. "Thank you, but that'll be up to Kai."

**. . .**

Without a stable to keep the dragons warm during the colder months, Wu told the ninja to let them rest in the courtyard until they had one built. Jay's dragon preferred to perch on the wall surrounding the monastery when he wasn't flying, which he did about 80% of the day. Jay supposed he should give his dragon a name, while he was at it. He never had a pet back when he lived in a trailer with his parents in the junkyard, except for the occasional friendly desert iguana that would be kind enough to climb up his arm.

_But what should I name him? _He wondered, rested on the courtyard wall himself, watching the electric blue and yellow blue and yellow dragon do flips and loops mid-air, reminding himself of him and his old roller blades. _Something awesome, probably. But it has to be fitting. Apollo? Nah. Sparky? Ferdinand? Nope, doesn't sound right._

His dragon did a barrel roll and soared up through the clouds, disappearing in a wisp of air.

_Wisp. Wisp. Hmm, that's a funny word. It has a ring to it._

"Wisp," Jay repeated aloud, nodding to assure himself. "That's it."

Wisp coasted down from the puff of clouds he had hidden behind, and flew past Jay, whipping hair into his eyes. He laughed.

As the dragon continued to do his own thing, Jay's mind wandered to his team. They had done so many cool things together: fought skeletons, rode dragons, ferried through realms... all in under a week! He had been offered the ride of a lifetime, and he was so glad he took the hand.

But, not only had he gained the trust of his teammates, they gained _his _trust as a friend. They hadn't picked on him for being nerdy and inventive, they supported his creativity. They had even used _his own creation _in their escapade to the Floating Ruins!

He was proud to call them his friends.

**. . .**

Zane's hand glided past his wyvern's cold, ice-colored scales. He had to admit, he had gotten close with the creature, and as the others, decided to name him.

Shard, he had chosen. A bit random and not entirely ice-related, but he learned that not everything had to make sense. So he was fond of it.

Though hardly a month had passed since he had last seen Jude and Agnes, he found himself beginning to forget about them. It wasn't a good thing, of course. They had done so much for him, saved him from the blizzard, offered him a home. Simply retrieving Agnes' lost engagement ring couldn't repay his debt. And how could he forget the two people he had cared about _most _for the longest time?

But... when he really thought about it, it came down to just one thing— love. They cared for him. They had wanted him to be happy. This was _his _choice. And, he had found a new home. Zane would never _truly _forget about them, but he was sure that this team was his future.

**. . .**

Cole's mind would occasionally flick back to his days in boarding school. He could see so much of Eli in Kai. Dakota in Kai's little sister. Audrey in Jay. Every now and again when he would spend time with his new friends, he could see himself when he hung with his old clique.

But he was slowly starting to forget about his past, and was focusing on other things. He had new priorities, new missions, and some evil dark lord to fight in the future. A part of him was glad to suppress old memories of his parents, music, and school. But another was trying desperately to save precious memories with his only friends from Marty Oppenheimer's. Cole's mind was in turmoil, but something told him it would be okay.

He wasn't ready to tell the other guys about his past, yet. Maybe someday. But right now he was ready to forget.

**. . .**

"And, that's when we came to get you," Kai finished, playing with a strand of hair above his scar that was beginning to blonde from the sunlight he'd been in over the past few days.

Nya hummed, placing the last of her clothes in the scuffed-up walnut dresser, and rolling her suitcase into the closet before brushing imaginary dust off her hands. "I'm just glad you didn't kill yourselves over me."

Kai frowned. "It wasn't just about saving you, apparently, but that's the only reason I came to Wu, anyway. I risked my life to beat that Garmadon guy up, but we didn't even get to do _that_."

"But you would have swum through lava to save me anyway, right?" Nya asked.

Kai rolled his eyes good-heartedly. "_Maybe_..."

"Come on, I know you would."

He chuckled. After a moment or so, he asked her, "How long do you want to stay here?"

Nya raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he still out there? Garmadon isn't gone yet, you guys still have to keep him from taking over Ninjago. Wherever he went, that vortex was the next step in his plan. So far everything's lining up for him."

Kai shrugged. "I guess."

"Don't you _want _to stay here?" she wondered. "I thought you liked them. Your teammates."

He bit his lip. "I do... but we have to keep Four Weapons running. We're already late on sales, we've gotta get going—"

"Four Weapons?" Nya repeated, her voice suddenly raised. "There are more important things to do than keep our job."

Kai's brow was furrowed. "It's our home, too."

She put her hands on her hips as a defiant gesture. "C'mon, big brother. This is the fate of _Ninjago _we're talking about. If you're important to this team, I've gotta help you and the rest of the boys stay on track. If this Garmadon's gonna attack _our _home, you've gotta be there to stop him, not at some boring forge doing a job you sucked at anyway. Let's stay here and train, whaddya say?"

Kai was silent, before he smiled, ruffling his little sister's dark hair. "I... guess we could mortgage the property, if we plan on living here now."

Her sea-blue eyes widened. "We? Really?"

"Well, I'm a ninja now, aren't I?"

**. . .**

**I can't believe it's over! I admit I lost motivation around the last third of the story, and was scrambling to get the outline done (I cheated, I didn't prepare because it was mostly recap D:) along with the rough draft and everything else. But I did it, and I'm surprised and proud of the total 43 reviews, 19 follows and 17 favorites. You guys are _awesome_!**

**I will definitely try to get a better start on a better, longer story soon. I have a long list of ideas and even some outlines for my next Ninjago story, so I'll ask all of you for your opinion. Here's the list of ones I'm willing to start next month:**

**_Loose Ends Tied—_ a sequel/spin off to this story, where Cole tells the team about his time at Marty Oppenheimer's five years later and tries to meet up with Audrey again**

**_Ninjago's Protectors_— a two, maybe three part story on the ninja's life in the future and their posterity**

**_Destiny— _a Ninjago/Star Wars crossover thingy**

**_Not Yet Ready_— a Movie!Verse story that takes place just after the events of the movie**

**And, no pressure if you don't want to answer, but I would love to know your favorite chapters, and/or anything I could have done to improve my writing.**

**One last _huge _thanks to anyone reading! I always appreciate reviews. Mouth of Lightnin out!**


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